Manila Standard - 2022 January 26 - Wednesday

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VOL. XXXV • NO. 345 • 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P18 WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 26, 2022 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

‘Stealth Omicron’ now here

DOH bares detection of 2 sub-variants that may spread less noticeable

By Willie Casas

T

HE Philippines has already detected the BA.1 and the BA.2, also called the Stealth Omicron, two sub-lineages of the more transmissible Omicron coronavirus variant, the Department of Health (DOH) said on Tuesday.

LET ‘EM RIDE. Member of the transport group PISTON picket at the LTFRB main office in Quezon City on Tuesday to oppose the government’s ‘No vax, no ride’ policy on public utility vehicles and the ongoing threat of the phaseout of old jeepneys. Manny Palmero

In a briefing, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said BA.1 is most common in returning overseas Filipinos and in Region V while the BA.2 is most common in local cases in every region.

“For now, we need to tell the public that experts have yet to see clinical differences between BA.1 and BA.2,” Vergeire said.

She said further study is required because the data involving the subvariant was still limited.

Vergeire also said the Omicron variant may now be considered the predominant variant in the National Capital Next page

Govt sets vax for ages PH logs 17,677 cases amid uptick in Visayas, Mindanao drive 5-11 on Feb. 4 time since the first week of January that Department of Health (DOH) said.

Meanwhile, Health Secretary the daily tally fell below 20,000.

The positivity rate was at 37.2 Francisco Duque said the classification THE Philippines logged 17,677 new Tuesday’s count brought the total percent, based on 43,874 people tested of Philippines and Metro Manila was COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, the first number of cases to 3,459,646, the on Jan. 23.

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By Willie Casas

Nurses hit SRA plan, incentives for druggists up

JABS, NOT MASS.

Residents of North Caloocan City patiently wait their turn to be inoculated with COVID-19 vaccines at the Our Lady of Fatima Parish in Novaliches, Caloocan. Santi San Juan

By Willie Casas and Macon Ramos-Araneta A NURSES organization said Tuesday it was dismayed over the Department of Health's new allowance scheme for pandemic frontliners based on their risk level classification.

This developed as Presidential Adviser for COVID-19 Response Vivencio “Vince” Dizon supported the recommendation of Senator Christopher “Bong” Go to give incentives to pharmacists who will administer COVID-19 booster shots under the “Resbakuna sa Botika” initiative.

The National Task Force Against COVID-19 will expand the pharmacybased inoculation to Baguio City on Wednesday, Dizon said, as he promised to bring up Go’s proposal with the Department of Health and the National Vaccination Operations Center.

3,459,646

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247,451

53,598

79

(As of 4 PM, JANUARY 25)

Four EJK cases Illegal loggers eyed in clearing ops filed in court, By Vito Barcelo 48 for review FOUR cases of the 52 anti-illegal drugs police operations that resulted in deaths had been filed before the regional trial courts (RTCs), Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said Tuesday.

“Per the initial report of the NBI dated 4 January 2022, most of the 52 cases turned over by the Philippine National

17,677

3,158,597 33,144

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By Rey E. Requejo

THE government will start administering formulated COVID-19 vaccines to children aged 5 to 11 years old by Feb. 4, National Task Force (NTF) Against Covid-19 chief implementer, Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., said Monday night.

"We are already prepared for the vaccination of 5 to 11 years old," Galvez, also the vaccine czar, reported during President Rodrigo Duterte's prerecorded Talk to the People.

Galvez said the government will issue guidance this week, with town hall meetings to be conducted from Jan. 24 to 28, for the rollout of the pediatric vaccination under the 5-11 years old age bracket.

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PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte is encouraging illegal loggers to help cut off fallen trees in areas affected by Typhoon Odette last December and use it as materials to build houses.

In his talk to the people, Duterte said he was willing to pay small-time illegal loggers to help cut felled trees and assured them that they would not be arrested.

He said all they would have to do was “to go to the office of (Environment Secretary) Gen. [Roy] Cimatu, get a permit to operate a

chainsaw to cut fallen trees.”

“I am encouraging the illegal loggers to go back there. Somebody will take a census or whatever and make it a formal document, and I will pay you,” Duterte said.

The President also urged members of the New People’s Army to help in cutting fallen trees.

“You members of the NPA, listen to me, surrender your firearms to the Army for safekeeping and tell the soldiers you will surrender your firearms because you have a job for Duterte,” he said.

Duterte said that the fallen trees could be used to build houses.

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TITA CORY’S 89TH. Two visitors take selfies before the tomb of the Aquino Family at the Manila Memorial Park in Paranaque City on Tuesday, the 89th birth anniversary of the late President Corazon Aquino. ‘Tita Cory,’ who became the first woman and the 11the President of the Philippines, died on August 1, 2009, at the age of 76.

Danny Pata

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News

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 26, 2022

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Solons seek probe on fish imports The resolution was introduced by Bayan Muna Reps. Eufemia Cullamat, Carlos Zarate and Ferdinand Gaite, Gabriela Rep. Arlene Brosas, ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro, and Kabataan Rep. Sarah Jane Elago.

At the same time, Senator Imee Marcos called out the Department of Agriculture for conjuring a “fake shortage” to justify the importation of 60,000 metric tons of fish.

Marcos, who chairs the Senate committee on economic affairs, asserted there was ample supply of fish for the first quarter of the year and that importation would only deal a fatal blow to local fisheries.

“Stop this rampant importation that will kill our local fisheries,” Marcos said.

“We have enough fish from stocks unsold in 2021 and yet to be delivered until March. The closed fishing season is also about to end,” she added.

Meanwhile, Sen. Cynthia Villar, who chairs the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food, said the implementation of the closed fishing season could be suspended amid the reported shortage in fish

‘Stealth...

dominant sub-lineage internationally, the number of BA.2 cases detected in various countries is increasing,” she said.

Vergeire previously said the World Health Organization (WHO) and other experts are still studying the BA.2.

“Based on their initial findings and based on observing patients there’s not much of a difference with the Omicron as to the severity of illness,” she said.

The Philippines has detected a total of 535 Omicron cases.

National Task Force Against COVID-19 (NTF) medical adviser Dr. Ted Herbosa, meanwhile, said it is not yet recommended for the public to use higher quality masks N95 or KN95 to protect themselves better from the Omicron variant.

Herbosa, who was asked about the calls of some health experts to use N95 and KN95 masks instead of cloth or surgical masks against Omicron, said the three-ply surgical masks offered good protection against airborne infection or illnesses.

He also said they are not recommending the use of N95 or KN95 masks to the general public since supply might run out for health care workers.

Also on Tuesday, the DOH said a total of seven subnational laboratories will be established in selected regional hospitals nationwide as part of efforts to improve the country’s capacity to detect vaccinepreventable diseases.

Vergeire said the hospitals identified include: Ilocos Training and Regional

Medical Center; Jose B. Lingad Memorial Regional Hospital; Western Visayas Medical Center; Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center; Zamboanga Medical Center; Southern Philippines Medical Center; and Cotabato Medical Center She said the DOH will provide additional equipment and supplies to these hospitals.

“The WHO has committed to help us regarding the necessary equipment and supplies for the seven subnational labs,” Vergeire said, adding that the UN agency would provide P36 million.

“Even though there is a pandemic, it’s good to give attention to other illnesses such as measles, rubella, and others,” she said.

in NCR went up to 6 on January 2.

“While this is good news and confirms a downward trend not just in new cases but also in active cases, we have to continue [to] follow health protocols to prevent a reversal of the trend,” David said.

The top regions with cases in the recent two weeks were Region 4-A (Calabarzon) with 2,629 or 15 percent, National Capital Region (Metro Manila) with 2,570 or 15 percent, and Region 3 (Central Luzon) with 2,266 or 13 percent.

There were 79 new fatalities, bringing the COVID-19 death toll to 53,598.

The DOH also reported 33,144 new recoveries, bringing the total number of recoveries to 3,158,597.

There were 247,451 active cases, of which 7,464 were asymptomatic; 235,181 were mild; 2,996 were moderate; 1,502 were severe; and 308 were critical.

Nationwide, 50 percent of ICU beds, 53 percent of isolation beds, 53 percent of ward beds, and 25 percent of ventilators, were in use.

In Metro Manila, 44 percent of ICU beds, 45 percent of isolation beds, 51 percent of ward beds, and 24 percent of ventilators, were in use.

Duque also reported that the following regions are at critical risk: Bicol Region, Cordillera Administrative Region, Western Visayas, Davao Region, Cagayan Valley, Northern Mindanao, Zamboanga Peninsula, Ilocos Region, Caraga, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Calabarzon and

Central Luzon.

However, Duque reported that case trends in Visayas and Mindanao are increasing.

He asked local government units in the regions to address hospital utilization rates, monitor case hospital metrics, and ramp up vaccinations.

Based on government data, Duque said over 57 million Filipinos are fully vaccinated versus COVID-19, which is 73 percent of the country's eligible population. Over 6.2 million Filipinos got their booster doses.

The Palace said on Tuesday that the InterAgency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) was set to meet and discuss the possible de-escalation of Metro Manila from Alert Level 3 to the less strict Alert Level 2 following the downward trend in reported COVID-19 cases.

Cabinet Secretary and acting presidential spokesman Karlo Nograles said the task force would study this and announce its decision before the month ends.

Duque on Monday said the spike in COVID-19 cases in Metro Manila may have reached its peak as the number of new cases from the region continues to decrease.

As of January 24, some 262,997 people were recuperating from COVID-19, 72,382 of whom were in Metro Manila.

Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo Año said Monday night that the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) and

Cagayan Valley topped regions with the greatest number of areas enforcing granular lockdowns, Año, in his report to President Rodrigo Duterte during the Talk to the People briefing, said out of a total of 807 areas under granular lockdown, 242 are in CAR while Cagayan Valley has 212.

These were followed by the National Capital Region with 169; Ilocos Region, 165 and Mimaropa with 19.

"In the entire country, 31 LGUs have so far conducted granular lockdowns. This involves 296 barangays and 807 (areas) are now under granular lockdown," Año told the President.

He said the measure has so far affected 1,111 households and 2,145 individuals.

He also said LGUs and the Philippine National Police are now intensifying the monitoring of the compliance of health safety protocols in public places.

From Jan. 16 to 21, the number of persons apprehended for non-wearing of face masks rose by 3 percent to 64,645, from 62,833 for the period Jan. 9 to 15.

In the same period, some 590 people were accosted over the conduct of mass gatherings, a 77 percent increase from only 332.

A total of 24,398 people were apprehended for violation of physical distancing rules, an increase of 3.7 percent from 23,528 from January 9 to 15.

Año clarified that only a small number of these violators were charged, while the majority of them were just given a warning.

to grant continuous benefits to Filipino healthcare workers.

“Consistent with my pronouncements before, for as long as it is viable on the part of the government, we must advance the welfare of our HCWs who are considered the heroes in our current fight,” Go, chair of the Senate health committee, said.

He also called on the Executive department to work together, particularly the Health Department and government finance managers to thoroughly study the matter and make sure funding sources can be made available.

"A thorough study on this is necessary to know how much funds needed and where to get them," he said.

Reporting to President Rodrigo Duterte during the Talk to the People Monday evening, Dizon said the NTF would help accelerate the rollout of booster shots in Baguio City amid the rising COVID-19 cases there.

“Because many vaccinators are getting sick, we will initially open two pharmacies in Baguio City,” Dizon said in Filipino.

Last week, the NTF launched the “Resbakuna sa Botika” in Metro Manila, which aims to bring the Covid-19 booster shots closer to the public by making drugstores vaccination sites for booster jabs.

Among the participating pharmacies in Metro Manila include Mercury Drug, Watsons, The Generics Pharmacy, Generika Drugstore, Southstar Drug, and Rose Pharmacy.

Private clinics such as QualiMed and Healthway also participated in this initiative under the “Resbakuna sa Klinika.”

Govt...

The formulated low-dosing Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to be used for the younger population is expected to arrive on Feb. 2, he added.

Galvez said the pediatric vaccination for this age bracket will be rolled out in two phases.

A pilot run will be conducted in one hospital-based and one local government unit (LGU)-based vaccination site per city, within the National Capital Region (NCR), for the first phase.

After a week, it will be expanded to the rest of Metro Manila's inoculation sites and other regions, for the second phase.

"We will open the hospital and nonhospital vaccination site and we will expand the sites further to other regions after one week," Galvez said.

The latest data from the NTF showed that 7,246,430 adolescents, or children aged 12 to 17 years, are now fully protected against the disease.

The government expects to vaccinate more than 39.41 million aged from zero to 17 years old.

Philippine Medical Association (PMA) president Benny Atienza said they are proposing to the government to hold a National Day of Vaccination for children aged 5-11.

To date, he estimated about 20 million to 30 million children in that age range are unvaccinated.

In the 11-17 age bracket, only a few got their COVID jabs, he said, saying

vaccine hesitancy among their parents were the cause.

"These parents still need to be educated that vaccines are safe," said Atienza during an online briefing.

Atienza said the government still has a huge stock of COVID-19 vaccines.

Meanwhile, the executive director of the Philippine Foundation for Vaccination, Dr. Lulu Bravo, said people should get their COVID-19 booster shots, even though some studies have shown that getting the Omicron variant of the coronavirus could protect a person from other variants.

Speaking in an online media forum sponsored by Samahang Plaridel, Bravo said the highly transmissible Omicron is the key towards being protected against all other coronavirus variants.

"It is the way to the exit for this pandemic but do not be complacent," she said.

Bravo noted that after six months, the efficacy of the vaccines, regardless of the brand, was found to be low.

"But when you get a third shot or booster, the efficacy would increase by at least 90 percent. If you get infected with COVID-19, hospitalization will not likely be needed," she added.

A third dose of the vaccines, she said, would mark an increase in antibodies and reduce the severity of the disease.

Bravo blamed vaccine hesitancy caused by misinformation spread on the internet for the relatively low number of people with booster shots. Macon Ramos-Araneta and Willie Casas (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

in the far-flung communities.

"Are they sheltered in the sense that there is a whatever protection for them against rain and those cold nights? Were they provided with such kind of material to build temporary shelters, not houses?"

Duterte asked Office of the Civil Defense Undersecretary Ricardo Jalad.

The latter was reporting on the ongoing government-led response efforts for the Odette victims during the President’s prerecorded Talk to the People aired on Tuesday morning.

Jalad said the affected families were already provided with emergency shelter materials while the government is assisting them to rebuild their typhoon-damaged houses.

He said carpentry teams from the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Bureau of Fire Protection were already deployed in Eastern Visayas (Region 8) to help the people rebuild and reconstruct their destroyed houses. Some of them were temporarily staying with their relatives.

Duterte said he also wanted to find

out if the inhabitants within temporary shelters were already vaccinated against the dreaded COVID-19 infections.

"Because if not yet and the health workers are still in there, let's just use the assets of the Coast Guard and their fast craft.

It's really fast. Let's just deliver the vaccines, so we can have it all in. You know, the other areas are far-flung communities. It would be hard for us to go there because it's remote areas, then we'll look for people to get vaccinated," said Duterte. (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

By Macon Ramos-Araneta and Maricel V. Cruz

T

HE Makabayan Bloc has filed a resolution asking the House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture and Food to investigate, in aid of legislation, the impact of the importation of round scad fish or “galunggong” on the livelihood and economic status of fishermen.

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Region and other regions due to its increasing cases.

She said Omicron samples increased from 1.30 percent to 98.9 percent in January.

Foreign scientists have dubbed BA. 2 the "Stealth Omicron" because it has genetic traits that make it more difficult to identify using standard RT-PCR testing.

Since it is difficult to identify, experts fear it may be spreading less noticeably around the world.

At present, BA.2 has been detected in at least 49 countries and 17 US states.

“While the BA.1 is known as the

PH...

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downgraded from “critical risk” to “high risk” for COVID-19, as the average daily attack rate (ADAR) remained high.

He added that the two-week growth rate went down to 176 percent, as the ADAR stood at 25.46.

In Metro Manila, Duque said the classification shifted from critical to high risk as the two week growth rate went down from 7,225 percent to 65 percent, but its ADAR was at 85.46 percent.

Duque also said NCR Plus areas are showing case declines while cases in the rest of Luzon areas are plateauing.

Aside from NCR, Mimaropa, BARMM, and SOCCSKSARGEN were classified as high risk.

The independent OCTA Research Group, meanwhile, said the reproduction number in the National Capital Region decreased to 0.91, indicating the downward trend not just in new COVID-19 cases but in active cases as well.

OCTA fellow Guido David said it was the first time the reproduction number fell below 1 since Dec. 23, 2021.

The reproduction number refers to the number of people that can be infected by one case. A reproduction number below 1 indicates that the transmission of the virus is slowing down.

David said that the reproduction number

Nurses...

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However, Filipino Nurses United (FNU) president Maristela Abenojar said on ANC's "Rundown" program: "We believed that our nurses and health workers have been shortchanged."

"Instead of finding additional funding for the benefits due for our health workers, they tried to reduce the budget such that they have compromised the health workers' health and safety," Abenojar said.

On January 20, the DOH said the special risk allowance and active hazard duty pay would be replaced with the One COVID-19 Allowance, which the agency described as more inclusive and responsive.

Under the agency's Administrative Order 2022-0001, those considered high risk or directly catering to COVID-19 patients will receive P9,000 per month; moderate risk or working in a health facility will be given P6,000; and low risk or no direct contact with COVID-19 patients will get P3,000.

But Abenojar said her group already opposed last year the DOH's proposal of a singular allowance.

"We strongly denounce the proposal for a one singular allowance now known as One COVID-19 Allowance for the health workers because we feel that this gives little regard to the selfless work and sacrifices exerted by our health workers in this time of pandemic," Abenojar said.

Meanwhile, Senator Go said he was supportive of the measure that seeks

Illegal...

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More than 339,000 individuals who were rendered homeless due to the typhoon are still staying in 1,146 evacuation centers, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.

Meanwhile, President Duterte wants the government to build safe temporary shelters for the families affected by Typhoon Odette

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supply, as she questioned the approved importation.

She told a hearing Monday: "If they think Odette affected the fishing industry, they could have temporarily suspended the closed season...

Why didn't they suspend it?... It seems like they favored the importers over the fisherfolk. That's why their action looks questionable.)

Villar said fisherfolk groups sought her help to stop the importation.

But she said she advised them to report to President Rodrigo Duterte because DA officials did not listen to her. (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

DOE: Alerts seen in May, but not on Election Day

By Alena Mae S. Flores THE Luzon power grid may face two instances of “red alert” and four “yellow alerts” in May, but after Election Day on May 9, according to the latest forecast of the Department of Energy (DOE).

"In consideration of historical events such as unscheduled forced outages that we are looking at, based on historical background, we ran simulations, we averaged the events that happened and what are the possibilities if we consider the forced outages and our basis is the last three years of average, we will have red alert after the election," Mario Marasigan, director of the DOE Power Bureau, said during a virtual briefing Tuesday.

A red alert status, which could trigger brownouts, is issued when supplies are insufficient to meet consumer demand and the transmission grid’s regulating requirement.

A yellow alert is issued when the excess power is insufficient to meet the transmission grid’s regulating and contingency requirement, pegged at the time at about 495 MW and 647 MW, respectively.

"The red alerts may happen on (week of) May 16 and May 23, that means the two succeeding weeks after the May 9 election," Marasigan said.

DOE also sees four instances of yellow alerts, as Energy Undersecretary Felix William Fuentebella said they are in coordination with the Commission on Elections since there are many causes of brownouts.

"Problems may not be connected to supply... There is a cause of concern and definitely there is a need for urgent action, and we have to plan," Fuentebella said.

Energy officials, however, assured they have identified possible solutions.

"Initially without forced outages, we really don't have a problem… we see forced outages, but we also have solutions," Marasigan said.

DOE is banking on the availability of hydro power plants Kalayaan and San Roque by moving their maintenance schedules, the testing and commissioning of the San Miguel Mariveles and the Dinginin power plants to help provide additional capacity. (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

4 EJK...

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Police-Internal Affairs Service are still under evaluation by the regional offices of the National Bureau of Investigation or are presently subject of case buildup,” Guevarra said, in a text message to reporters.

Of the 52 cases that are suspected to be extra-judicial killings, Guevarra said only one case was filed in an RTC in the National Capital Region, while the three others were filed in RTCs located in the provinces.

“Four cases have reached the courts: the deaths of Carl Angelo Arnaiz (RTCNavotas City); of Richard Santillan and Gessamyn Casing (RTC-Cainta); of Anwar Sawadjaan, Noel Bacalzo, and Angelo Hofer (RTC-Zamboanga del Norte); of Sharif Amatonding (RTC-San Pedro, Laguna),” he added.

Arnaiz was 19-years-old, a former student of the University of the Philippines, when he was reportedly killed by policemen on Aug. 18, 2017.

As for Santillan, an aide of former Biliran Rep. Glenn Chiong, he was reportedly killed along with female companion Casing in Cainta on Dec. 9, 2018.

Anwar Silan Sawadjaan, 19, Angelo Hofer, 20, and Noel Rey Bacalzo, 22, all residents of Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay were allegedly killed in a shootout with policemen along a highway in Zamboanga del Norte on July 29, 2016.

Amatonding was reportedly killed on Dec. 16, 2016. His case was among those studied by the DOJ-review panel but according to the PNP-IAS the cause of his death was reportedly not drug related.

The Department of Justice started reviewing the 52 police drug war cases to determine if the 154 policemen involved in these operations could be held criminally liable.

The 154 policemen were earlier found by the PNP-IAS to have committed administrative liabilities.

Meanwhile, the Department of Justice asked for the cooperation of the Philippine National Police in the investigation and prosecution of policemen allegedly involved in killings during anti-illegal drugs operations conducted since 2016.

Guevarra said he had discussed the issue with PNP Chief Dionardo Carlos “to ensure the cooperation of the PNP regional offices, particularly on access to original case records in the possession of these offices.”

Guevarra said he had ordered the NBI to speed up its evaluation of the cases involving deaths in the government’s drug war.

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Binay: more aid, benefits for working parents

By Joel E. Zurbano

CASH INCENTIVES FOR SENIORS. Bacolod

City Mayor Evelio Leonardia and Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran led city officials in the releasing of cash benefits to the first batch of recipients under the ladderized program for centenarians today, January 25. Sixty beneficiaries received P10, 000 each following the passage of City Ordinance No. 910, Series of 2019. Photo from Bacolod City PIO

QC dismisses Mike Defensor’s corruption claims

By Rio N. Araja THE Quezon City government took a swipe at Anakalusugan party-list Rep. Mike Defensor over accusation of corruption involving COVID-19 procurements worth P479 million.

“The recent allegations propounded by Anak Kalusugan party-list Mike Defensor against the Quezon City local government have ‘laughably and woefully backfired,’” spokesperson Pia Morato said.

Defensor earlier released a statement to media claiming that the Commission on Audit was “questioning the validity of the city’s P479 million worth of pandemic procurements,” even accusing the “city government violated the Procurement Law and its implementing regulations.”

He even asserted that his allegation was “based on a recent COA report,” and “went as far as saying that the document was newly posted on the COA website,” according to Morato.

“No such ‘new report’ was posted on the COA website, however. In fact, Defensor’s allegations were based on a report posted on the COA website last July 2021, as a partial section of QC’s year-end audit report for the year 2020,” Morato said.

“The good congressman should definitely hire better researchers and a better PR team. When they sent their statement to the media, the reporters and editors checked the validity of their claims.

They found out that the tidbits shared by the Defensor camp were part of the year-end COA report wherein Quezon City was actually awarded with the highest audit rating in the history of the city.

PH honors SAF44 heroes for their ultimate sacrifice

T

HE country will be forever indebted to the 44 members of the Philippine National Police- Special Action Force (PNP-SAF) who sacrificed their lives for peace and freedom, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said on Tuesday.

“They paid the highest cost for the priceless gift that we enjoy today, the gift of living with peace and liberty far from harm and free from fear,” Guevarra said during the commemoration rites for the fallen troops known as the “SAF 44” at the SAF headquarters in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City.

Guevarra said the fallen troops’ heroism and devotion to the country are

“more powerful than death itself.”

“The plight of these 44 heroes is a story ink in history and etched in our collective memory”, he added.

Guevarra, who served as guest of honor, was joined by PNP chief, Gen. Dionardo Carlos and other ranking PNP officials in this year’s observance which carries the theme, “The Dedication and Sacrifice of the Men of Valor is the Pinnacle of Patriotism”.

Carlos also paid tribute to the bravery of the SAF 44, adding that the incident is “a lesson we must not forget.”

“Never again we are going to allow history to repeat itself. Their lives are irreplaceable. Like generations of warrior heroes before them, our SAF 44 gave everything they had, not for glory, nor for any gratitude, but for something greater than themselves,” he added.

PNP spokesperson Police Brigadier General Roderick Alba further said ”the SAF left a legacy to the police organization.” He said PNP members “draw inspiration” from the SAF 44 heroes” and that “their legacy will live on.”

MANILA POLICE INSPECTION. PBGen. Nicolas Deloso Torre III, Deputy Regional Director for Operation of the National Capitol Region Police Office conducts inspection of members of the Manila Police District (MPD) inside the MPD headquarters along United Nation Avenue in Ermita, Manila, on January 25. Norman Cruz

By Rey E. Requejo

THE Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday said bar examinees are expected to receive from the Office of the Bar Confidant until January 27 the “Notice of Admission” that would be sent to their Bar PLUS-registered e-mail addresses for the 2020-2021 online bar examinations set on February 4 and 6.

The SC-OBC stressed that once the electronic mail is received, bar examinees should download the “Undertaking” which has to be signed and submitted to the head proctor on the first day of the exams.

“Do not panic if you do not receive the e-mail immediately. Kindly note that examinees will not receive their Notices of Admission all at once,” the SC said, in a latest bar bulletin.

“If you do not receive the e-mail

by January 27 (Thursday), you may download both documents, i.e., (1) Notice of Admission and (2) Undertaking] using your Bar PLUS account.

You may check the User Guide on how to obtain these documents at https:// sc.judiciary.gov.ph/23984/,” it added.

IN BRIEF BFAR chief: ‘Monitoring system is mandatory’ THE Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) under the Department of Agriculture (DA) has maintained that the installation of the vessel monitoring system (VMS) and electronic reporting system (ERS) for commercial Philippineflagged fishing vessels is mandatory, and not voluntary.

Retired commodore Eduardo Gongona, BFAR national director, invoked Section 119 of the Fisheries Code or Republic Act 8550.

“There have been news reports citing statements made by a DABFAR official during a consultative meeting with stakeholders from the commercial fishing industry stating that the requirement is now mandatory. We clarify, however, that these statements do not represent the full context under which there were given. During the consultation, the said official merely encouraged the commercial fishing vessel operators to submit themselves voluntarily for the installation to avoid the imposition of temporary suspension of fishing vessel license, as preventive measures, to non-complying operators in violation of law,” he said.

DOLE: Inspection of firms employing foreigners resumes

Bar admissions will be sent via email, SC says DOJ, NBI to probe alleged Land Bank ‘hacking’

By Rey E. Requejo

FORMER Vice President Jejomar Binay on Tuesday said working parents who are not able to report for work in order to care for their children at home should be entitled to additional paid leaves and government assistance.

“With schools closed, many working parents are unable to go to work because they need to look after their children. They should be given government aid and entitled to additional paid leaves. This should apply to private and government employees,” Binay said.

“Mental health break for students, ‘ayuda’ and paid leaves for the parents,” he added.

Binay, who is running for senator in the May 9 elections, said the health crisis brought by the coronavirus disease is affecting the financial security and well-being of families, as many parents or family members have either lost their jobs or have seen their earnings decline.

“Most families are cutting back on expenses for food, medicine, and essential needs. And not only workingclass families but also middle-class families,” he said.

Binay said these benefits should be part of a comprehensive family care program for workers during the pandemic.

DEPARTMENT of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Menardo Guevarra on Tuesday said the National Bureau of Investigation-Cybercrime Division will investigate the reported “phishing” schemes that affected accounts of some teachers

in the Land Bank of the Philippines.

“The NBI is already looking into phishing of bank accounts on a broader scale, but I am minded to issue a separate directive to the NBI in the case of the teacher victims,” Guevarra said, in a text message.

Guevarra made the statement after

the Teachers’ Dignity Coalition claimed that it received a number of reports that some teachers lost as much as P121,000 each from their Land Bank accounts.

Land Bank has immediately issued a statement denying that their systems were hacked, saying that the incident could be due to phishing.

THE Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has resumed inspecting establishments nationwide employing foreign nationals.

Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III has authorized 385 labor inspectors to validate Alien Employment Permits issued by the department and the Bureau of Immigration to foreigners working in the country.

Bello also issued Administrative Order No. 14, Series of 2022, mandating the labor inspectors to verify the company’s legitimacy.

DOLE will also inspect the list of alien employment permit applicants, the list of foreign nationals working at the time of verification, and the roster of local employees.

Eleazar pushes for cash-for-vax

ASSISTANCE FOR TOURIST GUIDES. An estimated 300 tourist guides in Boracay Island have received assistance from Former House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano. Tong Floirendo, Cayetano’s political director, led the distribution of grocery packs to tourist guides, one of the social sectors affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

SENATORIAL aspirant Gen. Guillermo Lorenzo Eleazar urged the national government to consider implementing a cash-for-vaccination program to encourage more people to get their jabs especially in the provinces where health experts have been recording a high infection rate of COVID-19.

The cash-for-work program was implemented several times in the past in areas struck with natural calamities as a form of assistance for the residents to recover from the adverse impact of disasters.

Eleazar believes that the cash-forvaccination program will encourage more unvaccinated individuals to get their jabs especially since some of them

find COVID vaccination as a waste of time due to long queues and that they have to travel to vaccination sites.

“Mas maganda na i-consider ng ating pamahalaan na subukan ang cash for vaccination program upang mahikayat ang mas marami nating mga kababayan na magpabakuna sa gitna ng patuloy na banta ng COVID (The government should try a cash for vaccination program to entice more Filipinos to get vaccinated as COVID-19 rages on),” said Eleazar.

He cited the program initiated by the Quezon City government which provided P2,000 for ambulant vendors in exchange for vaccination in a move to further improve the vaccination rate in the City.

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DILG warns poll bets: no contact during campaign

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 26, 2022

News

NOT FOR PUBLIC USE.

Lion dance performers show the costumes they will use to celebrate the Lunar New Year on Feb. 1. However, Manila Mayor Francisco ‘Isko Moreno’ Domagoso has issued an executive order banning parades, dragon and lion dances, and the lighting of fireworks during the Chinese New Year. Norman Cruz

Rody teases info vs. 4 prexy bets Leni: Strength not determined by one’s gender VICE President Leni Robredo has rejected criticisms that she is weak because she is a woman.

“They always say, ‘That person is weak because she is a woman.’ We don’t accept that,” the presidential aspirant said in her remarks before supporters in Zamboanga City on Monday.

“Strength is determined not by the loudness of your voice or by the brashness of your actions. Strength is determined by how you make your choices.

In times of crisis, where were you and what did you do? During the most difficult times that our country is facing, where were you?” she said.

Robredo said the battlelines for the 2022 elections are very clear, referring to the candidates’ beliefs, what they are fighting for, and the kind of politics and governance they maintain.

“This is not just a war of programs, because during every election, everyone has a good program of governance. This is about character. This is about integrity. This is about what kind of route do you want our country to take in the next six years,” she said.

Despite lacking the machinery and funds that other candidates have, Robredo said she remains confident about victory in the upcoming elections.

“We are doing this for the country.

I am just one of many candidates. But if we decide to fight this out for our country – all those resources, all those machineries, all those political minds will not stand a chance against the determination of the ordinary people,” she said.

“I promise you a clean and honest government, and you will be inspired to fight alongside me because the answer to our problems will not just be with me, but with all of us,” Robredo added.

Robredo also visited on Monday a thriving mangrove rehabilitation project in Kabasalan, Zamboanga Sibugay that has provided new sources of livelihood to the community.

By Vito Barcelo

P

RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte vowed to unmask the “most corrupt” candidates running for the country’s top position “in due time” as he raised arguments against at least four presidential aspirants without naming them.

In his public address aired Tuesday, Duterte said it is his job to tell the truth based on the information that he has received.

“In due time, I will personally name the candidates – maybe what is wrong with them. The people need to know because you are electing a president,” he said.

“I will tell you who is the most corrupt candidate. I am not politicking. I am talking to you as your president. There are things you must know,” he added.

Without naming the presidential aspirant, Duterte said there is one candidate who claims to be unblemished, but businessmen, including the Chinese, who have had official transactions with the candidate are complaining of too much corruption.

The President said another presidential aspirant was a drunkard who would hurl invectives and insults at his people.

Yet another candidate, Duterte said, has a “negative issue” which he did

not elaborate.

“If this becomes president, I will be forced to speak up. If you listen to me that is fine. If you don’t listen to me, that is also fine. Nothing is at stake for me,” he said.

Another presidential bet, Duterte said, was “hopelessly” running to succeed him.

“This one should not be president because this one is still lacking, very lacking, for the job. Everyday, this candidate says something wrong,” he said.

Duterte’s party, the PDP-Laban faction led by Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi, has yet to declare support for any presidential candidate even as it adopted Duterte’s daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, as its vice presidential bet.

PRAYER WARRIORS. Vice President Leni

Robredo on Monday visited the Carmelite nuns in their monastery in Zamboanga City. The Carmelite nuns are Robredo’s prayer warriors.

THE Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) warned candidates against various forms of physical contact ahead of the start of the campaign period for the May 9 elections.

“Crowding, or allowing there to be crowds that violate the minimum public health standards around a candidate and his or her companions, handshakes, hugs, kisses, going arm in arm or any action that involves physical contact among the candidate, their companions, and the public, taking selfies, photographs and other similar activities that require close proximity between the candidate and their companions and the public, distribution of food and drink and all other goods or items, especially cash are not permitted,” Interior Secretary Eduardo Año told President Rodrigo Duterte during the Talk to the People address on Monday night.

Citing Section 15 of the Commission on Elections Resolution No. 10732, Año also said these forms of physical contact are also prohibited during caucuses, meetings, conventions, rallies, and miting de avance.

Candidates and their support staff are likewise prohibited from “entering any private dwelling during house to house campaigning, even with the express permission of the homeowner.’’

The campaign period for national and local candidates will start on February 8 and March 25, respectively.

UniTeam vows ‘all-inclusive’ governance

By Rey E. Requejo THE UniTeam of presidential aspirant Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and his running mate, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, will persevere and remain steadfast in promoting a unifying and healing leadership throughout its term if elected in this year’s elections.

The team made the commitment even as it assured that political leanings and alliances will not play a factor in bringing in progress and equal opportunities for everyone, especially for the Bicolanos.

Marcos made the commitment after he was asked during a recent interview if Bicolanos will be included in the ticket’s programs of governance.

“That’s the whole point of the UniTeam, that’s why it’s unity, even if we don’t agree on everything, especially in politics, as long as we help the Filipinos. You do it your way what you think, I’ll do it my way as long as we work together,” Marcos said.

He then categorically stated that Bicolanos and the region which is deemed a bailiwick of his rival, Vice President Leni Robredo, will always figure prominently in the government’s overall development programs.

Ex-VP De Castro impressed with Lacson’s leadership, track record

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

FORMER Vice President Noli De Castro said the leadership skills and track record of presidential aspirant Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson clearly shone during a recent television interview with candidates for the highest position in the country.

De Castro said Lacson was frank and

to the point in answering questions on governance and national policies.

“Many people who I talked to who watched the interview were impressed with the answers of Senator Ping. He really knows his job,” he said.

De Castro was previously part of the senatorial slate of Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso but de-

cided to withdraw his candidacy.

Political analyst Malou Tiquia said Lacson “came out really strong” during the interview.

“Why? [Because] he had the track record to speak of,” Tiquia said in a Twitter post.

Lacson, for his part, said he intends to transform the Philippines from being a

poster country of global disasters into a model nation when it comes to exerting efforts in the fight versus climate change.

Lacson said this is going to be part of his environmental agenda, which would be backed by science-based and datadriven solutions, even if the Philippines is not among the biggest contributors to global warming.

‘No fireworks, dragon dance for Chinese New Year’

By Macon Ramos-Araneta DRAGON dance and firework displays to celebrate the Lunar New Year will be prohibited in Binondo, Manila on February 1 even as COVID-19 cases continue to decline in the National Capital Region.

Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso yesterday announced

that New Year activities in Binondo – the country’s biggest Chinese community – will be prohibited.

He said he signed an executive order banning public activities in the area during the Chinese New Year.

“I just signed Executive Order No. 11 last night. We are calling on our Filipino-Chinese because this February,

they will celebrate the Chinese New Year. Executive Order No. 11 cancels all activities in relation to this celebration of the Chinese New Year or Lunar New Year in the entire Binondo, Chinatown area,” Domagoso said.

“This covers more or less 20 barangays,” added the standard bearer of Aksyon Demokratiko.

Pacquiao vows to double salary of public teachers

By Macon Ramos-Araneta PROMDI Presidential candidate Sen. Manny Pacquiao said his administration will double the salary of all government teachers and would intervene to also improve the living standards of their counterparts in the private sector to restore dignity in the teach-

ing profession.

Over the years, he said the living standards of many teachers have miserably deteriorated that many of them even resort to loan sharks and in dubious networking schemes just to get by.

He added that despite their status as educators, many teachers are still living in slums or are renting in squalid apart-

ments because of the lack of support by the government.

While he is thankful that President Duterte went out of his way to increase the salaries of those in the uniformed service, Pacquiao said it is equally important that the government should also look after the welfare of the country’s teachers and health care workers.

A baker prepares his dough at a small tinapayan in San Andres, Paco, Manila on Tuesday, January 25, 2022. Breadmakers have already asked the Department of Trade and Industry that they be allowed to impose a price hike amid increasing prices of flour and kerosene.

Danny Pata

Opinion Unresolved poll protest in CamSur’s 3rd district WE WROTE recently about the contested result in the 2019 congressional election in the 3rd district of Camarines Sur. Here’s an update on the issue.

The camp of the late Luis Villafuerte Sr. wants the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal (HRET) to immediately resume its hearings on the contested congressional fight between the deceased and former Naga Vice Mayor Gabriel Bordado Jr. The Villafuerte camp is appealing to the HRET to release the revision report, or the results of its manual revision or recount of the actual ballots in the 2019 electoral race in the province’s third district.

Moreover, they want the HRET to declare the late Luis Villafuerte Sr. as the true winner in May 2019 polls, unseat Gabriel Bordado and appoint a caretaker congressman for the third district to serve in the remaining months of the 18th Congress.

The recount, done by the HRET’s revision committee last December, showed that the real winner in the congressional contest in CamSur’s third district was the late Villafuerte, who was the recognized political kingpin of Bicol for many years.

A motion filed by the Villafuerte camp, represented in the HRET by Lalaine Villafuerte-Abonal, seeks to dismiss for “lack of merit and legal basis” Bordado’s appeal for the decryption of the SD cards containing the ballot images and election documents.

Bordado’s last-ditch move, according to the Villafuerte family, appears to be a mere tactic to delay the Tribunal’s final decision and stop the House from unseating him as congressman.

Bordado’s motion is the result of the HRET’s December 10, 2021 order directing both parties “to file their respective motions for the decryption of the SD cards and the printing of the ballot images and other election documents contained in the SD cards.”

The HRET gave both parties a 5-day deadline.

The HRET revision panel was at that time in the middle of its recount or complete examination of the physical ballots in the 99 clustered precincts whose results had been formally contested by the Villafuerte camp.

The order of the HRET chaired

by Justice Marvic Leonen (as the most senior member of the bench in the House poll tribunal) came as a complete surprise to the Villafuerte camp because earlier Supreme Court rulings found this to be an unnecessary move.

The Villafuerte camp is now asking why Justice Leonen, a former dean of the University of the Philippines (UP) College of Law, issued such an order when the SC itself had already ruled in two similar cases—Jaime Torres vs House of Representatives and Ninfa Garin in 2001 and Batul vs Bayron and Commission on Elections in 2004 —that the official ballots comprise the

THIS is with reference to the news item that appeared in your publication on January 23, 2022 entitled “COA grills QC on P479M in purchases”.

The second paragraph of this socalled news item reads, quote, “In a new report published on the COA website, state auditors said the Quezon City government’s purchases violated the Procurement Law and its implementing regulations, as well as accounting rules.”

We are aware that your publication based this entire report on a press statement provided by the office of

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mst.daydesk@gmail.com

EDITORIAL

“primary,” “best evidence” or “most conclusive evidence” of the voters’ will.

In the case of Rosette Lerias vs HRET and Roger Mercado, the high court said: “In an election contest where what is involved is the correctness of the number of votes of each candidate, the best and most conclusive evidence are the ballots themselves,” and that only where or when the ballots cannot be produced or are not available, can the election returns serve as the best evidence.

How will the HRET act?

In Fernando Batul vs Lucilo Bayron and Comelec, the SC again cited the case of Lerias vs HRET and Roger Mercado in affirming that ballots serve as the primary evidence of the election results.

Given these SC rulings, the Villafuerte camp asked, what was the basis of the Leonen-chaired HRET’s order, considering that all the official physical ballots are intact and untampered, and were accessible to the House panel for its complete examination?

The manual recount of the ballots in the 99 clustered precincts took place from December 6 to 15, and the preliminary copies of the revision reports prepared by the HRET revision committee—and countersigned by the revisors—showed that the proclaimed results of the poll were “overcome” by a margin of 1,507 votes.

The recount or complete examination of the ballots in the contested precincts revealed that Villafuerte led by 23,132 votes as against Bordado’s lead of 21,625 votes in the 2019 tally.

What this means is that Bordado is not the legitimate congressman for the third district as he was not actually the one whom the majority of the electorate had voted for in the May 2019 balloting in the province. Thus, he should be unseated at once in favor of a legitimate congressperson, even if the replacement will just serve for barely five months.

On December 16, the Villafuerte camp filed a motion for the release of the true copies of the HRET’s report of its manual revision or recount of the ballots.

The Bordado camp countered the day after with a motion seeking the decryption of the SD cards to check for possible “tampering of the physical ballots.”

For the Villafuerte camp, Bordado’s motion is absurd and intended merely to hold in abeyance the HRET proceedings—and unduly delay his ouster as the erroneously declared congressman for the third district.

Hence, the right thing for the HRET to do now, according to the Villafuerte camp, is to uphold the sovereign will of the voters in the third district of Camarines Sur, dismiss outright Bordado’s motion to examine the ballot images, resume and conclude its hearings, and proclaim the real winner of the 2019 balloting in the province.

Will the HRET act on this motion by the Villafuerte camp? Let’s wait and see. (Email: ernhil@yahoo.com)

COA did not ‘grill QC LGU over P479M in purchases’ Mail Matters

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 26, 2022

Rep. Mike Defensor. Unfortunately, it appears that you have been remiss in your journalistic responsibility to validate the allegations included in the statement. If you did, you have certainly discovered that the Manila Standard was taken for a ride.

First, the title: the COA cer tainly did not “grill QC on P479M in purchases.” A shor t por tion (with emphasis on the word “por tion”) of the repor t in question merely pointed out that cer tain payments “were not suppor ted with complete documentation” thus the validity and regulator y of the transactions “could not be ascer tained” at the time of writing. Essentially, the COA was requesting for more

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A reverence for facts

PIONEERING fact-checking collaboration project was re-launched Monday ahead of the May 2022 elections, with several members of the academe, media and civil society professing their commitment to fight disinformation.

Tsek.ph, spearheaded by the University of the Philippines and initially launched in 2019 with three academic institutions and 11 media organizations, sports a new look and a bigger alliance of at least 21 members. The initiative is backed by the International Fact-Checking Network.

In his keynote speech, IFCN director Baybars Orsek, said fact-checking holds the powerful accountable and contributes to creating a more informed citizenry.

“Fact checking today is at the intersection of accountability journalism and technology, serving the public true, multi-layered publishing,” he said.

“Initiatives like Tsek.ph are vital and necessary. Especially now, when an enlightened Filipino citizenry is

key to our elections so that we are correctly informed about who and what the candidates running for national and local positions stand for,” said Dr. Elenia Pernia, UP Diliman vice president for public affairs.

It is a truly terrifying prospect that the core of our democratic exercise could be driven by lies.

Tsek.ph’s site contains results of fact checks on election-related claims making the rounds of social media.

These claims unfairly malign some candidates, boost the stock of others, causing confusion and divisiveness, and ignorance.

The collaboration is crucial

especially since those who deliberately and maliciously push disinformation are many and wellorganized.

This election is a particularly highstakes one, given the state of our country in terms of the economy.

Alas, there is a significant portion of the population that, because they are lazy, ignorant, or do not know any better, eagerly lap up as true claims presented through social media sites.

This is the “truth” on which they will base their decision on whom to vote for this May. It is a truly terrifying prospect that the core of our democratic exercise could be driven by lies.

Any candidate that deliberately skews and bends the truth to suit his or her purposes does not deserve to hold public office, much less the highest position in the land. Such a candidate must be rejected.

Adopting a fact-checking mindset is a good way to ensure our democratic decisions are made logically—and ethically.

Things are looking up

THINGS are looking up for the economy and the country. The economy is expected to grow by 7 to 9 percent this year, up from between 5.1 and 5.5 percent, if not higher, in 2021 (NEDA will release the final 2021 figures this Thursday).

At the same time, the rate of increase in recent daily COVID cases is slowing.

Since the economy contracted by 9.6 percent in 2020 and grew by just 5.1 percent in 2021, that’s a growth deficit of 4.5 percent this year, meaning the value of economic production last year was still below the 2019 value.

So if the economy grows by 7 percent this year, the net gain from 2019 will only be 2.5 percent. Considering that the population grows by 1.7 percent per year or 5.1 percent in three years, a net 2022 GDP growth of 2.5 percent means per capita income of Filipinos this year will still be 2.6 percent less than their per capita income in 2019.

Why is the income of Filipinos shrinking? Well, two things: The economy has shrunk to record lows; and two, between 16 million to 30 million Filipinos are jobless.

On its own, even if the president sleeps 24/7 for 365 days, the economy creates one million jobs a year. If growth is 7 percent or higher, the economy creates an additional one million to make it two million jobs per year. Now, if only the banks could redeploy the P2.3 trillion pumped in by the Bangko Sentral into the system, then maybe the economy could create three million jobs a year.

The economy grew by a robust 6.6 percent per year in the first four years of the Duterte administration. Then growth collapsed to its lowest ever, by 9.6 percent in 2020. It will take five years or more to recover from that collapse. It’s like a two-story house that went three stories down the ravine. To bring it up to earth and still

documentation, which the QC LGU submitted later on. After submitting these complete documents, the COA awarded QC with the highest audit score that the city has ever received in its entire histor y. Was your publication aware of this?

Majority of the countr y’s leading broadsheets and news sites car ried this remarkable achievement.

Simply stated, your January 23, 2022 article reported what was a mere

have two stories, you need to raise it by five stories just to be at the same level as before the fall. Remember, you had plans to build a third floor. Now, you cannot do that.

On the pandemic front, the Philippines recorded only 24,851 cases on Jan. 24, 2022, bringing total cases to 3.4 million. Active cases, 262,997, are 7.64 percent of the total. Critical are 309 cases, just 0.12 percent. “It appears that the vaccines are really working,” reported Health Secretary Francisco Duque last Monday night.

Vaccination rate is only 51.15 percent of the population (with 123.36 million doses administered), the lowest ratio in ASEAN.

But it will take five years or more to recover from that economic collapse.

Case fatality rate is 1.5 percent.

Some 53,519 have died since the pandemic erupted in February 2020.

The percentage of increase in cases is coming down, said Duque.

The Jan. 24 tally of 24,851 cases is down from 29,730 on Jan. 23; 30,416 on Jan. 22; 32,633 on Jan. 21; and the two-year COVID peak of 38,867 on Jan. 15, 2022. COVID cases are going down in Metro Manila. In the provinces, the number of cases is hitting a plateau.

So current Level 3 lockdown in Metro Manila could become Level 2, an easing.

Meanwhile, Bangko Sentral Governor Benjamin Diokno addressed the Management Association of the Philippines on Jan. 13, 2022. He said: After five consecutive quarters of negative growth, the economy bounced back with growth of 12 percent in the second quarter of 2021 followed by 7.1 percent in the third quarter.

Labor conditions have improved, with the unemployment rate declining to an 11-month low of 6.5 percent last November, from the peak of 17.6 percent in April 2020.

Inflation decelerated to 3.6 percent last December. This brought the average inflation for 2021 to 4.5 percent, above the official target range of 2 percent to section of a COA report, as if it were the entire thesis of the full report.

Perhaps that can be dodged by hiding behind “creative liberty” or “editorial license,” but the fact that I am referring to these events in hindsight should already provide a clue leading to my next point.

There is no such thing as a “new report published on the COA website” as your article claims. Apart from cherry-picking items without any

4 percent. For this year and next, we see inflation easing back to within the target range.

The country’s gross international reserves remain hefty at $107.7 billion as of end-November 2021, equivalent to 10.2 months’ worth of imports of goods and payments of services and primary income.

Cash remittances from overseas Filipinos continue to be a reliable source of foreign exchange, growing by 5.3 percent to $25.9 billion in January to October last year, from a slight contraction in 2020.

For the first 16 months, Foreign Direct Investments net inflows rose by 48.1 percent to $8.1 billion, up from $5.5 billion in the previous year.

Meanwhile, the peso appreciated to an average of P49.3/$1 in 2021 from 49.6/$1 the previous year.

The Philippine banking system has remained sound amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The banking system’s total resources grew year-on-year by 6.6 percent to P20.1 trillion as of end-October 2021.

Assets expanded by 8.6 percent to P15.6 trillion, funded mainly by deposits, reflecting continued trust and confidence of the public in the banking system.

Bank lending has improved. As of end- October 2021, banks’ total loan portfolio expanded year-on-year by 3.3 percent to P11 trillion.

Non-performing loans ratio remained manageable at 4.4 percent over the same period.

Banks remained profitable, recording an annualized net profit growth of 8.5 percent last year.

Capitalization remained ample, with the capital adequacy ratio staying well above the BSP’s 10 percent minimum requirement and the 8 percent prescribed by the Bank for International Settlements.

“While the COVID-19 crisis has brought challenges, it helped accelerate financial digitalization and inclusion.

More people started to embrace digital payment platforms and created electronic financial accounts,” said Diokno. biznewsasia@gmail.com

context, Rep. Defensor’s statement is based on a 2020 COA report. It’s not only very old news, but it was further twisted to become fake news.

I believe that the informal industry term for this is “nakuryente kayo.”

We trust that you shall be more discerning next time.

PIA ROCES MORATO Spokesperson QC Mayor Joy Belmonte

Rolando G. Estabillo Publisher ManilaStandard

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North Korea fires two suspected cruise missiles in 5th weapons test

FOGGY DAY. This aerial view shows al-Hamra tower (right), the headquarters of The National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) (center) and al-Rayah tower (left), caught in heavy fog early on January 25. AFP

SEOUL—North Korea fired two suspected cruise missiles Tuesday, Seoul said, its fifth weapons test this year as Pyongyang flexes its military muscles while ignoring US offers of talks.

The last time North Korea tested this many weapons in a month was in 2019, after high-profile negotiations collapsed between leader Kim Jong Un and then-US president Donald Trump.

This year Pyongyang has embarked on a fresh flurry of sanctions-busting tests, including hypersonic missiles, after Kim re-avowed his commitment to military modernisation at a key party speech in December.

Washington imposed new sanctions in response, prompting Pyongyang to double down on weapons testing and hint last week that it could abandon a years-long self-imposed moratorium on nuclear and long-range tests.

“North Korea fired two suspected cruise missiles,” South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement Tuesday, without giving further details.

Cruise missiles are not banned under current UN sanctions on North Korea, and Seoul does not always report such launches in real time, as it does for ballistic missile tests.

The last time North Korea is known to have tested a cruise missile was in September 2021.

A South Korean military official told the Yonhap news agency that “should such a missile be launched southward, our detection and interception systems have no problem countering it”.

- ‘Thumb its nose’ Pyongyang’s latest test looks like an attempt to provoke the administration of US President Joe Biden, which has offered talks “without preconditions” but no substantive high-level engagement in the last year.

“North Korea appears to be wanting to test Washington’s reaction, while showing off its presence on the global stage,” Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies, told AFP. AFP

HIGH-TECH JETS WITH ELECTRONIC JAMMING

Taiwan: China’s warplanes ‘big new threat’

T

AIPEI—China’s deployment of J-16D jets into Taiwan’s air defence zone this week marked the first sighting of the new high-tech warplanes, Taipei confirmed Tuesday, their electronic-jamming equipment posing a fresh threat to the island.

Taiwan lives under the constant spectre of invasion by China, which sees the self-ruled, democratic island as part of its territory to eventually be reclaimed -- by force if necessary.

The final quarter of 2021 saw a massive spike of Chinese incursions into Taiwan’s air defence identification zone (ADIZ), with the biggest single day coming on October 4, when 56 war-

planes entered the zone.

Sunday and Monday saw a dramatic show of force as well, with 52 warplanes entering the zone over the two days, according to the island’s defence ministry.

Among the 13 observed on Monday were two J-16D jets, which the ministry confirmed Tuesday to AFP was the first time the high-tech warplanes had been seen in action.

The new jets were first unveiled at an airshow in China in September, Chinese

state-run media Global Times reported.

The J-16D comes with four jamming pods and two electronic warfare pods as well as two missiles under the jet’s belly, it said.

“It is capable of destroying radar to suppress and damage the enemy’s aerial defence capabilities,” Shu Hsiao-huang, an analyst at Taiwan’s Institute for National Defence and Security Research, told AFP. These radar-jamming capabilities could “pave the way for subsequent at-

Istanbul airport shuts amid snow havoc, snowstorm blankets east Mediterranean ISTANBUL—Europe’s busiest airport shut down in Istanbul on Monday while schools and vaccination centers closed in Athens as a rare snowstorm blanketed swathes of the eastern Mediterranean, causing blackouts and traffic havoc.

The closure of Istanbul Airport— where the roof of one of the cargo terminals collapsed under heavy snow, causing no injuries—grounded flights stretching from the Middle East and Africa to Europe and Asia.

Travel officials told AFP it marked the glass-and-steel structure’s first shutdown since it replaced Istanbul’s old Ataturk Airport as the new hub for Turkish Airlines in 2019.

The winter’s first snow created a fun atmosphere across the squares of Istanbul’s ancient mosques, where children built snowmen and tourists posed for selfies.

MEMORIAL.

A stuffed teddy bear hangs from a light pole while Karla Chavez, of the social activist group Chiactivists, puts up a sign at a memorial for 8-year-old Melissa Ortega in Chicago on January 24. Ortega was walking with her mother in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood on January 22 when she was struck by stray bullets after an unknown offender shot multiple times in their direction.

AFP

But it proved a major headache for the 16 million residents of Turkey’s largest city, where cars ploughed into each other skidding down steep, sleetcovered streets and highways turned into parking lots.

The Istanbul governor’s office warned drivers they would not be able to enter the city from Thrace -- a region stretching across the European part of Turkey to its western border with Bulgaria and Greece.

Shopping malls closed early, food delivery services shut down and the city’s iconic “simit” bagel stalls stood empty because suppliers could not get through the snow.

The storm blocked roads across central and southeastern Turkey before crossing into neighbouring Syria, where it piled more misery on the war-scarred country’s northern refugee camps. AFP

Tropical storm kills 36 in Madagascar, 2 in Mozambique MAPUTO, Mozambique—Tropical storm Ana has killed at least 34 people in Madagascar and two people in Mozambique in recent days while knocking out power in Malawi, authorities in the three countries said Tuesday.

The storm which formed over the east coast of Africa’s largest island Madagascar has brought heavy rains causing flooding and mudslides that have swept away houses in the capital Antananarivo.

The latest report from Madagascar’s disaster management agency on Tuesday showed that 34 people have died and nearly 65,000 left homeless since

tacks”, he added.

“It poses a big new threat to Taiwan’s air defence.”

The Global Times published a sabrerattling editorial Tuesday, calling the appearance of the J-16D fighters a “selfevident” message.

“PLA (The People’s Liberation Army) warplanes will not only fly around Taiwan island, they could also... sooner or later fly over the island,” the editorial warned. AFP

last week.

Across the Indian Ocean, the storm made landfall on mainland Africa on Monday bringing heavy rains in Mozambique’s central and northern districts.

Mozambique’s National Institute for Disaster Risk Management on Tuesday said two people were killed, with 49 others injured in Zambezia province.

The UN forecasts the storm will cause widespread flooding, uproot people and inflict infrastructural damages.

The storm will potentially affect “highly vulnerable populations who have already suffered from previous

natural disasters and conflict in northern Mozambique,” the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in an update.

Government and UN agencies estimate that 500,000 people may be impacted in Mozambique’s Nampula, Zambezia and Sofala provinces.

In neighbouring Malawi, the storm plunged most parts of the country into darkness overnight Monday after flash floods raised the water levels, forcing the electricity generation company to shut down its power generating machines. AFP

Russia adds Navalny to list of ‘extremists’

MOSCOW—Russia on Tuesday added jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny to a list of “terrorists and extremists”, as authorities continue a clampdown on the opposition.

Navalny and several of his allies, including key aide Lyubov Sobol, appeared Tuesday on a database of banned individuals compiled by the Federal Service for Financial Monitoring (Rosfinmonitoring).

According to Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation—which was declared extremist and shut down last year—nine other Navalny allies were added to the list on Tuesday.

The decision puts them on a par with rightwing nationalist groups and foreign terrorist organizations, including the Taliban and the so-called Islamic State group.

Earlier this month, two other key aides of the opposition politician were added to the list.

The past year has seen an unprecedented crackdown on dissent in Russia, including the jailing of President Vladimir Putin’s top critic Navalny last January and the outlawing of his political organizations.

Almost all of his top allies have since fled the country.

Navalny—Putin’s most vocal domestic opponent—has been behind bars since returning to Moscow in January 2021 from Germany, where he was recovering from a poisoning attack with a nerve agent that he blames on the Kremlin. AFP

EMPTY AIRPORT. A man walks in an empty departures hall at

Tokyo’s Haneda international airport on January 25. More than 370,000 people are left in limbo by Japan’s coronavirus border rules, which bar almost all new arrivals and are the strictest in the Group of 7 nations. AFP

Prosecutor: Ex-cops ‘chose to do nothing’ as George Floyd died SAINT PAUL—Three former Minneapolis police officers charged with violating the civil rights of George Floyd chose to do nothing as the 46-year-old Black man suffered a “slow and agonizing death,” a prosecutor said Monday.

The men are on trial for their roles in the May 2020 death of Floyd, whose fatal arrest was filmed by a bystander and sparked months of protests in the United States against racial injustice and police brutality.

Derek Chauvin, the white former Minneapolis police officer who kneeled on the neck of a handcuffed Floyd for nearly 10 minutes until he passed out and died, is serving 22 years in prison after being convicted of murder.

Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane were the three other officers involved in the arrest of Floyd for allegedly using a fake $20 bill to buy a pack of cigarettes.

While Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck, Kueng was on his back and Lane held his legs. Thao kept back bystanders who were telling Chauvin to get off the visibly distressed Floyd.

In opening arguments Monday, prosecutor Samantha Trepel said the defendants ignored their own training and pleas from bystanders who were concerned about Floyd’s welfare.

“They watched as Mr. Floyd suffered a slow and agonizing death,” Trepel said, urging the jury to hold the three men accountable “for choosing to do nothing and watch a man die.”

“They chose to ignore what they saw and heard,” she said. AFP

Business

B3

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 26, 2022 || extrastory2000@gmail.com

S. Korea economy logs best yearly growth in eleven years

SEOUL RESISTANCE. Small business owners gesture during a protest against the government’s COVID-19 social distancing measures in Seoul on January 25, 2022. AFP

SEOUL, South Korea—South Korea’s economy grew in 2021 at the fastest pace for 11 years thanks to robust exports and strong activity in the service sector, the central bank said Tuesday.

The 4-percent expansion, which came in line with forecasts, was the best performance since 2010 and came despite the pandemic hurting global supply chains.

The strong data will give the Bank of Korea some room to further tighten interest rates as it looks to battle inflation, which is sitting at a decade high.

Bank officials have lifted the benchmark rate three times since August— the latest hike this month took them to 1.25 percent—and have indicated more this year.

South Korea is home to leading technology firms including Samsung Electronics, the world’s top smartphone

maker and whose chips are used in a wide range of devices.

Exports jumped nearly 10 percent in a sharp turnaround from 2020 when they contracted 1.8 percent as the pandemic forced governments around the world to shut down their economies to battle the COVID spread.

Domestic consumption increased 3.6 percent, having contracted five percent the year before.

But the construction shrunk 2.2 percent, the BOK data showed, continuing a trend of negative growth from the previous year.

“On the production side, while the decline in construction was sustained, manufacturing and services reversed to an increase,” the central bank said in a statement.

In the fourth quarter, GDP grew 4.1 percent on-year. AFP

Stocks up slightly; SPNEC, SM Prime advance

S

HARE prices inched higher Tuesday on select bargain hunting and declining COVID-19 cases, ignoring the plunge in most of Asian stock markets.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index added 35.57 points, or 0.5 percent, to 7,288.21 on a value turnover of P6.3 billion. Losers, however, edged gainers, 96 to 82, with 52 issues unchanged.

Solar Philippines Nueva Ecija Corp., which is building what is being touted

as the biggest solar farm in Southeast Asia, rose 3.1 percent to P2.02, while SM Prime Holdings Inc. of the Sy Group climbed 1.9 percent to P35.05.

Converge ICT Solutions Inc., a fiber broadband provider, increased 1.3 percent to P31, but Metropolitan Bank & Trust Co., the second-largest lender in terms of assets, fell 1.3 percent to P56.25.

Asian markets plunged Tuesday following a highly volatile day on Wall Street fueled by fears about the Federal Reserve’s plans to hike interest rates, with attention lasered on its upcoming two-day policy meeting.

Asia spent all Tuesday well in the red with Tokyo down 1.7 percent as Hong

Kong shed 1.7 percent, while Singapore, Taipei and Jakarta were also off more than one percent.

Sydney shed 2.5 percent after higherthan-forecast Australian core inflation figures ramped up bets on a rate hike by the country’s central bank.

Shanghai and Seoul fell more than two percent, with Wellington, Mumbai and Bangkok also down.

A disappointing start to the corporate earnings season, as well as growing concern about Russia’s troop build-up on Ukraine’s border and warnings of a possible invasion were also dragging on sentiment.

After spending much of last year

People line up for COVID-19 coronavirus testing outside a PCR test center at Tokyo’s Haneda international airport on January 25, 2022. More than 370,000 people are left in limbo by Japan’s coronavirus border rules, which bar almost all new arrivals and are the strictest in the G7. AFP

Workers, students decry Japan’s virus entry ban

By Etienne Balmer and Katie Forster TOKYO, Japan—Yanita Antoko has been waiting for over a year in Indonesia to join her husband in Japan. She has her papers and has closed her business selling homemade spice mixes, but remains shut out.

The 30-year-old is one of more than 370,000 people left in limbo by Japan’s coronavirus border rules, which bar almost all new arrivals and are the strictest in the G7.

Even as other countries with tough virus restrictions like Australia reopen, Japan still bans tourists and business visitors as well as new foreign workers, students and their dependents.

“It’s really, really upsetting me,” said Antoko, whose Indonesian husband works as an engineer in central Japan.

“When you get married, of course you want to have children. That’s the main reason we want to live together.”

But there is no clarity on when that might be possible.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has extended the current measures, which polls show are popular with the public, until at least late February.

That leaves people like 28-year-old Santosh from Nepal in an agonizing position.

He holds a business degree from Japan, speaks Japanese, and has been offered a job in the international marketing division of a Japanese company. But he has been stuck in Nepal since 2020, waiting for permission to move.

“If I cancel my plans to work in Japan, then my six years of studies there will have been for nothing,” Santosh, who asked to be identified without his surname, told AFP. “So I’m waiting and waiting.”

Others like French student Leeloo Bos are facing similar difficulties in keeping their dreams alive.

The 21-year-old, whose fiance is in Japan, is attending her Japanese classes at night due to the time difference.

“It’s a nightmare,” she told AFP, describing language lessons that end at 4:00 am.

And while she still hopes to build a career promoting Japanese bands, she said being apart from her Japanese fiance left her “feeling empty, as though half my soul had been removed.”

‘Out of touch’ Academics and business leaders warn Japan is losing out with its intransigent border rules.

“Expertise is declining” because companies cannot bring in foreign workers, said Michael Mroczek, president of the European Business Council in Japan.

With infections already spreading in Japan, the restrictions “appear to some extent irrational,” he told AFP. “It seems to be almost xenophobia.”

Japan has recorded a relatively low 18,500 deaths during the pandemic, despite never imposing a full lockdown or pursuing a “zero-COVID” policy like neighbouring China.

A foreign ministry official defended the “stringent (border) measures” as helping explain the “significant difference between Japan and other countries” in the number of infections involving the virus’s Omicron variant.

But in Japan’s business world, there is frustration, with the head of the powerful Keidanren business lobby on Monday comparing the rules to Japan’s self-imposed isolation from the 17th to 19th century.

The measures are “out of touch with reality,” said Masakazu Tokura, urging Kishida to reconsider.

In an open letter to the prime minister last week, scholars involved in Japan-US exchange also warned the entry ban “undercuts Japan’s diplomatic objectives and status as an international leader.”

Students looking elsewhere Davide Rossi, an Italian entrepreneur living in Japan, campaigns for the nearly 150,000 students official figures show are stuck outside the country.

“They’ve been in this limbo for two years but still don’t have a timeline or a plan, which is the very minimum the government should give them,” he told AFP. He described frustration as those shut out watched tens of thousands of foreign athletes, officials and media enter Japan for the Olympics last year.

Students are “100 percent willing” to test and quarantine like returning citizens and residents, said Rossi.

But so far, there have been limited humanitarian exemptions, and just 87 government-sponsored students allowed into the country. AFP

playing down the spike in prices, the US central bank has in recent months taken a sharp hawkish turn on monetary policy as officials look to bring inflation—which is at a four-decade high— under control.

Minutes from the most recent meeting indicate it will begin lifting interest rates from March with three or possibly four more hikes before the end of the year. On top of that, it plans to start offloading its vast bond holdings.

But while the move to battle runaway prices is seen as crucial, the end of the era of ultra-cheap cash for investors has rattled markets after almost two years of uninterrupted gains to record or multi-

month highs.

All attention is on the Fed gathering that starts later in the day, with investors poring over every word from the bank’s statement and boss Jerome Powell’s subsequent news conference.

“The Fed is scrambling to control inflation and markets have gone from expecting a gradual interest rate hiking cycle to an accelerated tightening action until inflation eases,” said OANDA’s Edward Moya.

“Some economists think the Fed needs a half-point rate increase in March to show they are serious about tackling inflation and signal that more are coming.” With AFP

Ray S. Eñano, Editor Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor business@manilastandard.net extrastory2000@gmail.com

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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 26, 2022

PCC stays clear of Robinsons’ deal to own 100% of Ministop PH

By Othel V. Campos THE Philippine Competition Commission said Tuesday there is no need for Robinsons Supermarket Corp. to notify the agency of its full acquisition of Ministop Philippines.

PCC chairman Arsenio Balisacan said in a statement Robinsons’ majority stake in Ministop already affords them control and that Robinsons is no longer required to notify the antitrust body about the acquisition of more shares.

However, he said the commission takes note of the scope of Robinsons’ portfolio in the consumer retail sector, which includes supermarkets, department stores and community malls.

Robinsons said Monday it would acquire the remaining 40-percent share of Ministop Philippines in February, effectively taking full ownership of the business.

The PCC also received reports about Ministop divesting its stake in Korean unit to Lotte and the sale of its joint venture stake in the Philippines.

As local partner, Robinsons Supermarket Corp. has a 60-percent stake in Robinsons Convenience Stores Inc., the master franchisee of Ministop in the Philippines.

The PCC reminded that merger reviews are focused on the effects and changes of market behavior in the hands of new owners or stakeholders.

This transaction may result in a change in ownership of a significant portion of equity but it is not likely to have an effect on the economic behavior of the target firm, Balisacan said.

The antitrust agency said it would continue to monitor acquisitions of notable brands and sizable firms to prevent the substantial lessening of competition in the market.

Coconut exports to boost Axelum’s 2022 sales growth

By Jenniffer B. Austria AXELUM Resources Corp. said Tuesday the strong demand for coconut products will underpin its growth in 2022.

“We are seeing increasing requirements for coconuts owing to stronger preferences for nutritiously-laden food labels by a thriving health-conscious population,” said Henry Raperoga, president and chief operating officer of Axelum, the country’s leading fullyintegrated manufacturer and exporter of world-class coconut products.

“Last year, Axelum catered to a larger customer base and managed to outpace industry growth to accelerate global market leadership,” Raperoga said in a disclosure to the stock exchange.

Data showed coconut exports in the first 11 months of 2021 reached $1.74 billion, up 54 percent from $1.13 billion a year earlier, strengthening the country’s position as one of the leading suppliers of coconut in the global market.

Coconut oil and desiccated coconut led all major segments by registering growth of 54 percent and 49 percent, respectively.

Axelum, citing third-party estimates, said the global coconut products market is projected to reach $31.1 billion by 2026, with a compounded annual growth rate of 14 percent from 2018.

Aside from traditional categories, market drivers include the fast-rising coconut water and coconut milk powder segments.

“Coconut water is a popular and healthier alternative to sugary and caffeinated drinks while coconut milk powder is an extensively-used universal food ingredient particularly for much-sought all-natural diets,” Axelum said.

Axelum said it recently expanded its nut processing and storage capabilities while improving overall manufacturing yields across its core products.

Business Villar firm bags NTC license, to use ABS-CBN frequencies

By Darwin G. Amojelar

T

HE National Telecommunications Commission granted a company controlled by former Senator Manuel Villar a provisional license to operate TV broadcast in Metro Manila and Mega Manila using the frequencies previously held by ABS-CBN Corp.

NTC issued an order granting Advanced Media System Inc. a provisional authority to install, operate and maintain a digital terrestrial television broadcasting station in Metro Manila and Mega Manila using Channel 16 (482-488 Mhz) with digital ERP of 10 kW for 18 months.

NTC commissioner Gamaliel Cordoba and deputy commissioners Edgardo Cabarios and Delilah Deles signed he provisional license.

NTC said Advanced Media Systems is “legally qualified, and the proposed digital terrestrial television broadcasting station in Metro Manila and Mega Manila is technically and economically

feasible in the interest of public.”

The regulator also granted Advanced Media System an authority to test broadcast analog TV Channel 2.

“This temporary permit to test broadcast is effective from Jan. 6, 2022 until the analog shut off unless sooner revoked or canceled,” the NTC said.

“It is understood that the operation of the subject radio station shall be done in accordance with the existing Radio Laws and Regulations,” it said.

The NTC in 2020 ordered ABS-CBN to stop operations following the expiration of its congressional franchise.

Republic Act No. 7966, which granted ABS-CBN a 25-year franchise to op-

erate TV and radio broadcasting stations, expired on May 4, 2020.

The Radio Control Law bars the operation of a radio broadcasting station without a franchise from Congress.

The network also closed down 12 local “TV Patrol” programs and MOR 101.9 For Life! in Manila on Aug. 28, 2020.

The frequencies were unused for several months after ABS-CBN Channel 2 went off the air on May 5, 2020 after losing its license.

The Office of the Executive Secretary asked the NTC in December last year to assign “vacated and available frequencies to qualified entities.”

The Villar family owns Planet Cable, a cable TV and fiber internet provider, which acquired a controlling interest in Advanced Media in 2019 from the Vera family.

The transfer of the franchise was approved by the Senate and the House of Representatives in the same year.

Advanced Media, which also operates radio station 103.5 K-Lite, secured a new 25-year franchise to operate TV service in June 2019.

PSE INDEX CLOSING Tuesday, January 25, 2022

35.57 PTS. 7,288.21

TOTAL VOLUME TOTAL TRADES TOTAL VALUE (IN PHP) ADVANCES DECLINES UNCHANGED

1,259,037,117 72,193 6,278,724,988.64 82 96 52

F oreign E xchange R ate Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas • TUESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2022

Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

51.3120

Japan

Yen

0.008778

0.4504

UK

Pound

1.348900

69.2148

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.128436

6.5903

Switzerland

Franc

1.094571

56.1646

Canada

Dollar

0.791515

40.6142

Singapore

Dollar

0.743163

38.1332

Australia

Dollar

0.714000

36.6368

Bahrain

Dinar

2.652942

136.1278

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266603

13.6799

Brunei

Dollar

0.740412

37.9920

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000070

0.0036

Thailand

Baht

0.030276

1.5535

UAE

Dirham

0.272287

13.9716

Euro

Euro

1.132700

58.1211

Korea

Won

0.000836

0.0429

China

Yuan

0.157968

8.1057

India

Rupee

0.013402

0.6877

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.238834

12.2551

New Zealand

Dollar

0.669800

34.3688

Taiwan

Dollar

0.036126

1.8537 Source: BSP

IN BRIEF ASEAN research unit cuts PH growth outlook

THE Asean+3 Macroeconomic Research Office on Tuesday reduced its 2022 growth forecast for the Philippines to 6.2 percent from the previous estimate of 6.7 percent, taking into account the continued uncertainties posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 6.2-percent growth forecast for the Philippines this year is the second highest in the region, next to Vietnam’s 7.5 percent.

This is followed by Malaysia, at 6 percent; Cambodia and Indonesia, 5.2 percent; Brunei, 4.1 percent; Singapore, 4 percent; Laos, 3.9 percent; Thailand, 3.6 percent; and Myanmar, 0.0 percent.

AMRO’s chief economist Dr. Hoe Ee Khor said the Philippine economy’s main driver of growth, which is consumption, was impacted last year by a series of lockdowns to stem the further spread of the virus.

“The Philippine economy is much more driven by consumption,” Khor said. He said with the reopening of the economy, the services sector and consumption would continue to drive economic growth in the months ahead. Julito G. Rada

MRT-3 served 45.6m commuters in 2021

SB CORP.’S ASSISTANCE. Small Business Corp., an attached agency of the Department of Trade and Industry, holds a strategic planning session geared towards the growth and development of micro, small and medium enterprises amid the COVID-19 pandemic and the devastation left by typhoon Odette in the Visayas and Mindanao. Attending the planning session are (by row, from left) SB Corp. director Bing Go, DTI Undersecretary and acting chairperson Bles Lantayona and SB Corp. president Luna Cacanando; and SB Corp. directors Bong Magpayo, Jacob Vasquez, Jude Doctora and Arnold Galdo.

SPNEC bares plan to develop 10,000 MW of solar projects

By Alena Mae S. Flores LISTED Solar Philippines Nueva Ecija Corp. said Tuesday it is firming up plans to develop 10,000 megawatts of solar projects.

SPNEC said in a disclosure to the stock exchange this would represent an almost 10-fold increase in the country’s grid-connected solar capacity of 1,021 MW as end- 2020.

SPNEC said it would pursue the expansion through planned asset-forshare swaps with parent Solar Philippines. To support the development of these projects, SPNEC said it may conduct a possible stock rights: offering and form joint ventures.

The company said solar projects of this scale would only be made possible by teaming up with the country’s leading power companies.

SPNEC’s statement followed Manila Electric Co.’s invitation to challenge the unsolicited proposal of Terra Solar, a joint venture of Prime Infrastructure Capital Inc. and Solar Philippines for the supply of 850 MW of mid-merit capacity for up to 13 hours a day from a minimum 2,500 MW solar and 4,000 megawatt-hour battery plant.

Solar Philippines began developing the pipeline in 2015 in anticipation of the increased demand. Its portfolio now comprises over 20 solar project companies, which include over 400 MW already operating or under construction and over 10,000 MW in development, based on the Department of Energy figures.

These developments are located in the provinces of Nueva Ecija, Batangas, Bulacan and Tarlac, where Solar Philippines spent the past years con-

Pag-IBIG financed 22,028 socialized homes in 2021 PAG-IBIG Fund financed more homes for low-income earners in 2021 despite the pandemic, top executives said Monday.

The number of socialized homes financed by Pag-IBIG Fund increased 30 percent last year to 22,028 from 16,975 socialized units funded in 2020. The amount of socialized housing loans also surged 37 percent to P9.71 billion in 2021 from P7.10 billion released in 2020.

“As the pandemic subsists, Pag-IBIG Fund’s Affordable Housing Program continues to help more low-income workers secure homes of their own. For 2021, we have released more funds so that more of our low-wage members have a safe place of their own. Providing service to the underserved is our contribution to the recovery of our country,” said Secretary Eduardo del Rosario, chairman of the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development and the 10-member Pag-IBIG Fund board of trustees.

Pag-IBIG Fund’s AHP is a special home financing program that caters to the needs of minimum-wage and low-income members who earn up to P15,000 a month

in the National Capital Region and members who earn up to P12,000 a month outside the NCR. Under the AHP, home loans worth up to P580,000 come with a subsidized rate of 3 percent per annum, the most affordable rate in the market.

Pag-IBIG Fund chief executive Acmad Rizaldy Moti said socialized units made up 23 percent of the 94,533 total homes funded by the agency in 2021. Meanwhile, socialized home loans comprised 10 percent of the P97.28 billion in home loans released last year.

“For years, we have been striving to break the glass ceiling of releasing home loans worth P100 billion in a year.

In 2021, I’m glad to say that we have achieved this seemingly impossible goal! And we did that by steadily growing our home releases year in and year out. Best of all, we achieved our goal by also growing the number of socialized homes and the number of members helped by the AHP. As I always say, our approach to housing has always been comprehensive,” said Moti.

solidating land suitable for solar in relative proximity to the Greater Manila Area.

“Our aim is not to compete with the country’s power companies, but to make it easier for them to build solar projects, so that together, we can make solar the largest source of energy in the Philippines,” said Solar Philippines founder Leandro Leviste.

Solar Philippines recently formed joint ventures for several projects. The company plans to complete forming joint ventures for 10,000 MW of solar project developments in 2022, with its interest in these projects subject to the potential asset-for-share swaps with SPNEC. SPNEC saw the highest traded volume among stocks on the PSE, with over P7 billion in trading over the past month.

MPIC CALENDAR.

METRO Rail Transit Line 3 said Tuesday it served 45,675,884 commuters in 2021 amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The line served 4.1 million commuters for both January and February of 2021, and a ridership just shy of 4 million in March at 3.9 million. A drop in monthly ridership was recorded in April at 2.2 million as Metro Manila was placed under Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine. Ridership bounced back in May with 3.5 million commuters.

The increase in ridership continued in June and July, at 3.7 million and 4.2 million, respectively, as Metro Manila eased to General Community Quarantine with restrictions beginning June 16 and to GCQ status on July 15.

Ridership reached 2.9 million in August, which coincided with the August 6 declaration of the Enhanced Community Quarantine in Metro Manila as an uptick in COVID-19 cases was recorded.

There was a steady increase in MRT-3 ridership, as Metro Manila gradually eased to a more relaxed community quarantine and alert level status. MRT-3 recorded a ridership of 3.3 million in September, 3.9 million in October, 4.4 million in November, and the highest one for the year at 5.5 million in December. Darwin G. Amojelar

Gov’t to auction supply of 2,000-MW renewables

THE Department of Energy issued a notice of auction for the supply of 2,000 megawatts of renewable energy capacity across the three power grids, which is expected to further spur RE development in the country.

The notice, signed by Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi through the Green Energy Auction Committee, invites all qualified bidders to participate in the first round of Green Energy Auction Program for RE pursuant to Department Circular DC 2021-110036 entitled ‘Providing the Revised Guidelines for the Green Energy Auction Program in the Philippines.’

Documents showed the agency is seeking suppliers for 80 MW and 50 MW of hydro capacity in Luzon and Mindanao, respectively. It also sought offers from biomass suppliers for 60 MW in Luzon, 120 MW in Visayas and 50 MW in Mindanao.

The agency also asked developers to make offers for solar capacity, specifically 900 MW in Luzon, 260 MW in Visayas and 100 MW in Mindanao. It asked interested parties to submit offers from wind developers for 360 MW in Luzon and 20 MW in the Visayas. Alena Mae S. Flores

Metro Pacific Investments Corp. releases its 2022 corporate calendar ‘Ang Kulay ng Pag-Gabay’ highlighting the six MVP Gabay Advocacies for a Sustainable Philippines.

The company’s second coloring book-style calendar features the entire Manuel Pangilinan Group’s positive community impact programs that underline the holistic progress that the conglomerate continues to make throughout the years. Pangilinan, MPIC’s president and chief executive, set the precedent for harmonizing the group’s positive community impact programs upon launching the advocacies on his 75th birthday.

Sports

Rafa battles stomach pain to reach Open semis MELBOURNE—Rafael Nadal dug deep into his immense reserves of resilience for the second match running to keep his dream of a 21st Grand Slam title alive at the Australian Open on Tuesday, as unseeded American Madison Keys reached the women’s semi-finals.

Nadal raced to a two-set quarter-final lead against Denis Shapovalov but then began to feel unwell, needing medical attention for a stomach complaint before surviving a four-hour thriller 6-3, 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 6-3.

The Spanish sixth seed previously had to show all his experience and tenacity just to reach the quarter-final in an epic 28-minute tiebreak, and he somehow found the willpower again to cross the finish line, despite being badly hampered.

“I started to feel not very well in my stomach so I just asked if they could do something,” said Nadal of calling for medical assistance.

“They just checked everything was all right and then I took some tablets to try to improve the situation. It was lucky that I was serving great in the fifth.”

Nadal won a warm-up tournament and continues to amaze even himself after being out for most of 2021 with a chronic foot injury. He then caught Covid-19 in December.

“I’m not 21 anymore!” he said.

“The real truth is that two months ago we didn’t know if we will be able to be back on tour at all,” Nadal admitted.

“It’s just a present of life that I am here playing tennis again.”

A frustrated Shapovalov smashed his racquet after losing and had a running battle with the chair umpire over the time Nadal was taking to serve, at one point calling the official “corrupt”.

‘Means a lot’ Earlier on Rod Laver Arena, Keys continued her impeccable start to the 2022 season with a straight-sets destruction of fourth seed Barbora Krejcikova to set up a potential women’s semi-final against Ashleigh Barty.

The unseeded world number 51 Keys was a semi-finalist in 2015 but endured a terrible 2021 where she tumbled down the rankings.

“It means a lot,” said Keys, who won 6-3, 6-2 against the French Open champion Krejcikova, who needed medical attention in the heat during the first set.

“Last year was really hard.”

Keys said she had to reset completely for the new campaign—and it clearly worked.

She won an Adelaide warmup event this month and has now amassed 11 straight match wins in Australia—equalling her tally for the whole of 2021.

“Wow, that’s gone well so far,” she said. “I am really proud of myself.”

She will face either Barty or a fellow American, Jessica Pegula, in Thursday’s semi-finals. AFP

EJ-PATAFA mediation on hold

THE mediation process involving the country’s top pole vaulter Ernest John “EJ” Obiena is on hold, for now.

The Philippine Sports Commission, however, reiterated in a press statement that “mediation is still the best option” to resolve the dispute between Obiena and his national federation the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association.

Agency officials discussed their stand after receiving word that Obiena won’t be involved in a dialogue with the PATAFA, adding that they have put the talks between both parties on hold.

The PSC, led by PSC chairman William Ramirez, however remains upbeat that they can still get both sides together to thresh things out.

“As mediation requires for the voluntary agreement of both parties for the process to proceed, we inform you that mediation is temporarily on hold. Despite this development, we maintain our stand that mediation is still the best option to resolve this matter,” said the PSC in a statement.

Obiena, whose dispute with the athletics’ federation involves his alleged questionable liquidation papers, has already submitted his financial reports that are now being processed by the PSC accounting office and the Commission on Audit.

Obiena is currently preparing for an indoor meet in Germany this week.

He said that he has lost faith in the mediation process, alleging that there was bad faith on PATAFA’s side. Peter Atencio

Riera U. Mallari, Editor; Randy M. Caluag, Assistant Editor

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 26, 2022

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Spain’s Rafael Nadal celebrates winning the men’s singles quarter-final match against Canada’s Denis Shapovalov on Day 9 of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne. AFP

POC to fight for Obiena’s inclusion in SEAG, Asiad

By Peter Atencio

T

HE ongoing conflict involving top Filipino pole vaulter Ernest John “EJ” Obiena and the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association should not be a reason for him to be removed from the national team.

Obiena’s squabble with the his national federation needs to be set aside and he must be allowed to continue representing the country in international meets.

This was the stand of Philippine Olympic Committee president Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino as he talked about the situation surrounding Obiena, who decided to withdraw from the Philippine Sports Commission-brokered mediation process with the PATAFA. “The POC will fight for it,” said Tolentino during Tuesday’s online session of the weekly Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum.

Tolentino expressed his thoughts on Obiena’s decision a day before the POC General Assembly tackles his case and the country’s coming participation in the Vietnam Southeast Asian Games and Hangzhou Asian Games.

“This will be a test case (for the POC).

Ang tanong sa NSA, if the athlete has a big potential, will you not endorse him?

Just because of a brouhaha, will you deprive the country of representation for

medals,” asked Tolentino.

The POC chief said that if Obiena is sanctioned and dropped from the national team and government funding will no longer be available for him, the POC will help him out.

The POC plans to include him as among the 18 athletes of the Philippine Team’s “Group B” which will be provided for with private sector sponsorship.

This is part of the POC’s plans to have

POC president Rep. Abraham Tolentino

two groups of national athletes, with Group A being those that are supported by government funds through the Philippine Sports Commission and participating in the SEA Games and the Asian Games.

Group B deals with outstanding national athletes who are struggling to get funding and support but are still part of the national contingent.

“Okay lang kung hindi siya i-endorse. Doon pasok siya sa Group B,” said Tolentino.

During the POC meeting, which will be held and live-streamed at the Grandmaster Hotel in Tagaytay City, details on the Philippines’ campaign in the SEA Games and the Asiad will be taken up in detail, including the limited government funding that is available for their stints.

The General Assembly will also decide on the POC executive committee Board’s decision to declare PATAFA president Philip Juico persona non grata, with some members seeking to nullify this decision.

Among those who support the move to reverse the executive board’s decision is weightlifting chief Monico Puentevella, who is also asking the PATAFA to keep Obiena in its pool of national athletes.

PH team to make do with available funds UNLESS additional funds come pouring in, Filipino athletes will have to make do with what’s available as they prepare for the 31st Southeast Asian Games in Hanoi in May. “We have to face the reality because of this pandemic,” said Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham Tolentino during Tuesday’s online Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum.

In fact, Tolentino said there’s little hope the 584 athletes in the POC list can embark on overseas training barely four months before the Philippines tries to defend the overall SEA Games crown.

“I doubt kung meron pang overseas training,” he said during the forum presented by San Miguel Corporation, MILO, Amelie Hotel Manila, Braska Restaurant, Unilever, and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation, with Prime Edge as social media and webcast partner.

Everything seemed to be going back to normal a couple of months ago until the COVID Omicron variant barged into the picture and left the SEA Games preparations back to square one.

“Nakakahinga na sana ng konti eh,” said Tolentino, hoping the POC has enough time to draw support from Congress and the private sector to boost the budget for the SEA Games.

As it is, the Philippine Sports Commission has P121 million funds allocated for the SEA Games. Originally, the budget stood at P200 million, but so much money was already spent for training before the pandemic kicked.

The Hanoi SEA Games was originally scheduled last year but was pushed to May this year.

“We’re working amid all the budgetary constraints,” added Tolentino, who ended up asking himself if the Philippines can keep the overall title despite the strong challenge from host Vietnam.

“Can we defend the overall championship? A lot of things have happened. Mahirap sagutin ‘yan. Second, the budgetary constraints will have a huge effect on our campaign,” he said.

“Kaya pa rin i-defend pero uphill batte,” said Tolentino, adding the host country has scrapped more than 40 events where the Philippines won gold medals in 2019, and added more than 30 events where the hosts are favored to win this year.

The cycling chief said it could be a battle for second overall among the Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia. “‘Yan ang maglalaban sa two, three, four. I think Malaysia and Singapore kaya natin,” said Tolentino, who added that finishing fifth in the medal standings is a far-fetched idea.

“Malabo na siguro ‘yan (fifth place) with what happened in 2019,” added the POC prexy, recalling the year when the Philippines hosted the Games and won the overall title for the second time.

Pinays impress despite loss to Australia THE Philippines fought one of the top teams in world no. 11 Australia and still made an impression despite losing, 0-4, in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2022 on Monday evening at the Mumbai Football Arena in Mumbai.

Short of two players who were among a total of four who tested positive for COVID-19, the Filipina booters’ defense held until the 51st minute when Tokyo Olympic veteran Samantha Kerr began scoring.

The Filipinas’ defense finally opened up when Kerr struck with a header off a corner kick early in the second half.

Kerr, who owes part of her development to former Australian Matildas’ coach and current Philippine mentor Alen Stajcic, has become one of the tournament’s most prolific scorers.

“We were not at full strength today.

But we showed an even impressive performance,” said Stajcic after the match as the Filipinas kept the Matildas from

A pedestrian walks past a women’s football wall mural ahead of the Asian Football Confederation Women’s Asian Cup India 2022 Finals at Vashi in Navi Mumbai. AFP

scoring more than four goals.

The energetic Australians, who were held scoreless in the first half, got a second goal from Filipina defender Dominique Randle, who accidentally struck a header into the Philippines’ own net in the 53rd minute.

Fatigue caught up with the Philippine side when the Matildas found their third goal at the 68th minute off midfielder Emily Van-Egmond.

Van-Egmond’s attempt was first cleared by goalie Kiara Fontanilla, but she sent it back in after the ball rebounded back to her.

After that, Mary Fowler knocked in Australia’s fourth goal at the 88th minute.

“The fact that we played against Australia without one of our key players who is unavailable. So many positives in the team’s performances,” said Stajcic, who handled most of the team members of the Matildas before he left the team in 2019, with Tony Gustavvson taking over.

With their second straight win in Group B, Australia is a strong contender for the quarterfinals. Peter Atencio

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Sports

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 26, 2022

Former Tour king Bernal stable after bus accident

Ban on Malaysian badminton ace lifted KUALA LUMPUR—Malaysian badminton ace Lee Zii Jia and officials struck a deal Tuesday to lift a ban imposed on the world number seven last week after he quit the national team.

The 23-year-old cut ties with Malaysia’s badminton association this month to play as an independent, but the body hit back by prohibiting him from competing in tournaments for two years.

The ban triggered fury, with top international players condemning a move that could have prematurely ended the career of Malaysia’s best hope to win the country’s first Olympic gold.

After crisis talks with the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM), Lee said he had received president Norza Zakaria’s “blessings” to go independent.

“I am happy that we are now resolving this issue,” he said in an Instagram post.

“I hope this conclusion unites us as Malaysians and badminton fans.”

Norza added that the “interest of the nation is paramount. Our goal is a gold at the Paris Olympics (in 2024) —BAM will support him.”

The body’s deputy president Jaharbedeen Mohamed Yunoos confirmed an agreement had been reached to lift the ban, and said the terms would be disclosed next week.

The news came a day after Lee filed an appeal against the ban, which prevented him from playing in all tournaments sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation (BWF).

BWF sanctions all important tournaments, and each country’s domestic association is responsible for registering players—meaning BAM was able to block Lee from competing.

He has been held up as the heir to Malaysian legend Lee Chong Wei, rising rapidly up the rankings and scoring a breakthrough victory at the prestigious All England Open last year.

But he decided to cut ties with BAM after performing poorly at recent tournaments, including the Tokyo Olympics. AFP LOS ANGELES—Devin Booker scored 33 points and Chris Paul did well to adjust on the fly for his 27 points and 14 assists as the Phoenix Suns won their seventh straight game with a 115-109 victory over the Utah Jazz.

Paul scored 15 of his season-high 27 in the fourth quarter after making adjustments to his playing style.

“In the first half, we had too many turnovers. I was trying to pass too much so I just started being aggressive,” the 36-year-old guard said.

Paul made his first five shots of the fourth quarter, including two baskets from beyond the arc on Monday night in Phoenix.

“Our staff always says to us ‘Let it fly.

If you are open and got a shot, let it fly,” Paul said.

The Suns seized control with a 14-2 final quarter run after the short-handed Jazz grabbed a 95-91 lead early in the quarter.

Utah was missing all-stars Donovan Mitchell, Rudy Gobert and Mike Conley Jr. The Jazz lost for the eighth time in 11 games.

Jordan Clarkson led the Jazz with 22 points, including three straight threes in the final quarter.

Supporters of the Comoros national soccer team celebrate their team goal during the match Cameroon vs Comoros in Moroni on Jan 24, 2022. AFP

8 dead, dozens injured in Africa stadium crush Y AOUNDE, Cameroon—Eight people were killed and dozens others injured in a crush outside a Cameroonian football stadium ahead of an Africa Cup of Nations match, officials said Tuesday.

Cameroonian President Paul Biya ordered an investigation into the tragedy that occurred Monday as crowds attempted to enter Olembe stadium in the capital Yaounde to watch the host nation play Comoros.

Although the stadium’s capacity of 60,000 had been limited over the coronavirus pandemic, the cap is raised to 80 percent when Cameroon’s Indomitable Lions play.

“Eight deaths were recorded, two women in their 30s, four men in their 30s, one child, one body taken away by the family,” said a preliminary health ministry report obtained by AFP. The ministry said victims were “immediately transported” in ambulances,

but “heavy road traffic slowed down the transport”.

Communications Minister Rene Emmanuel Sadi said that 38 people were injured in the crush, including seven seriously, according to a statement.

The health ministry reported earlier that around 50 people were injured, including two people with multiple injuries and two more with serious head wounds.

A baby was also reportedly trampled by the crowd, the ministry added. The infant was “immediately extracted and taken to Yaounde General Hospital” and is in a “medically stable” condition, it added.

‘Crisis meeting’

President Biya has “ordered the opening of an investigation so that all light is

shed on this tragic incident,” the communications minister said.

Africa Cup of Nations organizing committee spokesperson Abel Mbengue told AFP: “There was a crush as can happen when there is a stampede. We are waiting for reliable information on the number of casualties in this tragic incident”.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF), which runs the continent’s flagship competition, said it was “investigating the situation and trying to get more details on what transpired”.

In a statement online, the organisation said it had sent its secretary general to “visit the supporters in hospital in Yaounde”.

It added it was in “constant communication with Cameroon government and the Local Organizing Committee”.

Cameroon’s health minister Manaouda Malachie tweeted images showing him visiting a hospital treating those hurt in the incident. AFP

BOGOTA, Colombia—Former Tour de France winner Egan Bernal was “conscious” and “stable” in hospital following a training accident with a bus in his native Colombia, his cycling team Ineos Grenadiers said on Monday.

Pictures shared on social media showed the 25-year-old Giro d’Italia champion lying on the ground surrounded by teammates.

The back of a bus with a huge dent in it is visible in the picture.

“Bernal... was accompanied to hospital by Team medical staff and was conscious upon arrival. He is stable and undergoing further assessment,” said Ineos.

The 2019 Tour winner suffered “multiple lacerations” and was receiving treatment in a clinic, the local transport police said, adding that he ran into the back of the vehicle as it pulled up at a bus stop.

The accident happened in the town of Gachancipa, around 30 kilometers from the capital Bogota.

The Sabana University Clinic, where he was being treated, announced that he had undergone an operation for a fractured femur, patella and chest trauma.

“We wish him a speedy recovery (...) we trust that his state of health will evolve satisfactorily and that he can continue to reap triumphs,” said Colombian President Ivan Duque on Twitter.

Just a few days earlier, Bernal posted a video on his social media accounts showing a near miss with a car while out training with teammates, and criticized the driver.

Bernal became an instant star in 2019 when he upstaged British teammate and then champion Geraint Thomas to win the Tour—cycling’s most prestigious prize.

He would enjoy a stellar season, also winning the Paris-Nice and Tour de Suisse races.

But his 2020 season was hampered by a back injury and he failed to finish his Tour defense as Slovenia’s Tadej Pogacar dazzled.

Last year, Bernal switched focus and won the Giro on his debut in the pink jersey race, before also finishing sixth at the Vuelta a Espana later in the year. AFP

Booker, Paul carry Suns past Jazz; Cavs win

Chris Paul of the Phoenix Suns drives to the basket during the game against the Utah Jazz at Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona. AFP

Elsewhere, Darius Garland nailed a clutch three-pointer with 83 seconds remaining in regulation time as the Cleveland Cavaliers held on to beat the New York Knicks 95-93.

Kevin Love scored a team-high 20 points for the Cavaliers who led by as many as 15 points in the fourth quarter before the Knicks came storming back.

Rookie Evan Mobley finished with 15 points and 12 rebounds, and Isaac Okoro had 14 points for Cleveland, who have won seven of eight and were coming off a hard-fought win over Oklahoma City on Saturday. Garland also had 13 points and 12 assists.

“I’ve tried to be one of the vets in his life to tell him what to do and what not to do,” Love said of Garland. “I’ve been telling him, keep leading us.”

‘Little things’ RJ Barrett scored 24 points and Julius Randle 18 for the Knicks, who have lost four of their last five games.

“I think we should have won the

game,” Barrett said. “That’s for sure. It was just little things we can control that we’ve got to tighten up.”

The Knicks missed several chances in the final moments to take the lead.

Randle came up short on a 38-foot threepoint attempt at the buzzer.

“With the final one, they did a good job taking the corner away,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. “Julius wound up with a tough shot. Credit to their defense for the way they played us.”

In Oklahoma City, Nicola Vucevic had 26 points and 15 rebounds as the Chicago Bulls withstood a late comeback by the Oklahoma City Thunder to win 111-110.

The Bulls led by 28 points in the third quarter, but the Thunder engineered a fierce comeback and had a chance to tie it in the closing seconds.

Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who led his team with 31 points, missed a three-pointer that would have evened the score with two seconds to play. AFP

Art and tears: Skate star Hanyu inspires diehard fans TOKYO—Few athletes inspire devotion quite like figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu, whose fans follow his every move, spend fortunes watching him compete and even carve sculptures of the Japanese star.

Hanyu, who is aiming to complete a hat-trick of Olympic titles at next month’s Beijing Winter Games, is worshipped as an icon by his adoring legion of “Fanyu” supporters.

They shower the ice with Winnie the Pooh toys after his performances and support him with a passion that even some Hanyu fans themselves find intimidating.

But they are united in their love for the boyish, rake-thin 27-year-old, who is known as “Yuzu” to his devotees.

“He’s strong and charismatic but he feels ephemeral,” says Yumi Matsuo, a 46-year-old art teacher from Niigata on Japan’s western coast.

“It’s as if he could disappear at any moment.”

Matsuo has made dozens of artworks of him, including a wooden sculpture that she says she carved “with a feeling similar to making a statue of Christ or Buddha”.

The general public will be locked out of the Beijing Games because of Covid-19, but Hanyu’s supporters will be glued to their screens from afar.

Many of his fans are middle-aged Japanese women, but he is also popular with a diverse range of people from around the world.

Mijeanne van der Merwe, a 26-yearold South African who lives in Germany, knew nothing about Hanyu or figure skating until she turned on the TV and watched him compete at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics.

“From the first note, I was hooked —the expression, the way he carried himself, the way he executed his programme,” she says, adding that she burst into tears during the performance.

“Since then, I’ve been following him as closely as I can.”

‘Battle’ for tickets Matsuo, who also had no previous interest in skating, became a Hanyu fan after watching him win his first Olympic gold at the 2014 Sochi Games.

She says Hanyu has brought “light and colour” into her life, and she wants her future grandchildren to see her artwork so they can learn about him.

But Matsuo has only seen her hero perform in exhibition shows, with tickets for competitions in Japan too hard to come by.

Demand is so great that tickets are sold through lotteries, and Matsuo says it is a “battle” to win them.

Those who succeed take part in rituals like throwing the Winnie the Pooh toys onto the ice after he performs, inspired by the tissue box cover he carries to the rink with him.

Matsuo says most Hanyu fans are “really nice people”, but she admits she has had problems with internet supporter groups in the past. AFP

Artist Yumi Matsuo displays her home-made art of Japanese figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu - from paintings to wood carvings - at her atelier in Joetsu, Niigata prefecture.

Few athletes inspire devotion quite like figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu, whose fans follow his every move, spend fortunes watching him compete and even carve sculptures of the Japanese star. AFP

Entertainment

Nickie Wang, Editor nickie.standard@gmail.com WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 26, 2022

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Learn from some of the best artists in this virtual school I

“We put together the best mentors from various fields to inspire and encourage everybody to discover their creative passion and turn that passion into a profession,” said Artkipelago’s N THE past two years, the COVID-19 founder and president, the music maven Twinky Lagdameo.

She established the platform along with three other visionpandemic disrupted the way education ary, enterprising artists that serve as the brains and board of the works. Students shifted from physical online school. This includes live events producer and software classes to online classes for their safety. Dedeveloper Jay Adlao Block, music executive Ian Monsod, and Gina Tabuena-Godinez. spite this sudden change, people continued to composer Their stellar line-up currently includes Grammy-nominated show interest in education. international music producer Lugo Gonzalez, Itchyworms guitarist Chino Singson, songAdapting to a digital writers Jim Paredes, Jay platform also opened Durias, and Nyoy Volante, new opportunities for musical theater luminaries eager students to leverAudie Gemora and Menage the power of techchu Lauchengco, creatives nology and the Internet Dino Ignacio and writer JB to their advantage.

Tapia, and UK-based Geoff Digital learning platLangston, who will be discussforms also took this ing the role of music manager opportunity to launch while tackling the relevance of breakthrough courses mental and emotional wellness’ to change the landscape International music producer Lugo Gonzales in maximizing creativity. of online education and Some of the courses they ofprovide users with the information they need. For artists who are fer include an introduction to musical theater, how to looking to pick up new skills or enhance the talent they already become an effective screenwriter, discovering a differhave, Artkipelago has just what they need. ent approach to making music, the basics of selling Launched on Jan. 19, Artkipelago is a revolutionary online creative work, and more. learning platform designed for both beginners and professionals.

Although these veterans in the creative industry This virtual school for the arts offers courses in major creative have much to teach their students, they will also fields like music, film, and the performing arts. More creative be interacting with them during lessons by courses will be added almost every month to cater to the needs speaking about their art with expertise and of aspiring artists. depth, aided by firsthand knowledge and Artkipelago features carefully curated programs with various practical wisdom. learning modes to choose from, such as live webinars, workStudents will not only learn the basics of shops, and video-on-demand (VOD) learning modes. But what their respective artistic industries, but they sets them apart from other online learning platforms is their deci- will also receive guidance to become more sion to involve locally reputable artists from various industries. effective in their craft. Once the attendees complete their respec-

By Patricia Taculao

Another Pinay artist banners Spotify billboard on Times Square

female creators on the platYOUNG Kapamilya muform to foster equity in the sician Angela Ken is the music industry. latest female artist to land a Other Filipina artists who coveted billboard feature in were previously named artthe middle of Times Square ist of the month are Nadine in New York City as the Lustre, Kiana V, Ylona face of Spotify Philippines’ Garcia, KZ Tandingan, Equal campaign this Januand Belle Mariano. ary.

Barely a year into her muMeanwhile, Angela resic career after she signed cently dropped her new with ABS-CBN Music single “It’s Okay Not To Be and released her massive Okay,” which she co-wrote hit “Ako Naman Muna” in with ABS-CBN Music March 2021, Angela said Angela Ken is the face of Spotify creative director Jonathan she is speechless with all the Philippines’ Equal campaign this Manalo in collaboration blessings that has been hap- January. with the ‘King of Talk’ Boy pening to her.

Abunda, whose trending question in the “I am out of words and words will never be Binibining Pilipinas 2021 pageant served as enough to say how blessed I am to have amaz- the inspiration behind the song. ing people in my life,” Angela wrote on InstaAfter its release, “It’s Okay Not To Be gram. She also encouraged her supporters to Okay” was included in Spotify’s New Munever give up on their dreams saying, “Darating sic Friday editorial playlist in the Philippines din tayong lahat, maniwala lang tayo sa Pangi- and landed an international feature in New noon at sa sarili natin.”

Music Friday Gulf. On Apple Music, it was Spotify’s Equal playlist is a global wom- featured in New Music Daily and Absolute en-focused initiative that aims to highlight OPM playlists.

EXTRA INTERNATIONAL Netflix meets outrage in Egypt with risque comedy-drama NETFLIX’S FIRST Arabic film production was always set to be a big event, but within days of its release, public opinion in Egypt was so inflamed that critics called for a ban on the platform.

Ashab wala Aaz — one of the countless remakes of the Italian comedy-drama Perfetti Sconosciutti (Perfect Strangers) — features renowned actors from The cast of ‘Ashab wala Aaz’ Lebanon, Egypt, and Jordan.

The movie is about a group of friends meeting for dinner and deciding to make the night more interesting by agreeing to share every text message, email, and phone call received with the rest of the group.

As events unfold, the game reveals shocking truths about members of the group as it touches on topics from adultery and premarital sex to homosexuality, all widely considered taboos in Egypt.

The film, which was released on Jan. 20, immediately shot up to the most-watched list in Egypt.

But in the ensuing fracas, lawsuits have been filed against the culture ministry and the censor’s office for allowing the film to be streamed, and MPs have called for a special session to discuss whether to ban Netflix altogether.

Online, many slammed celebrated Egyptian actress Mona Zaki, who took part in what they dubbed a “disgraceful” movie.

Amid the storm, the US streaming giant has refrained from commenting. AFP •••

tive courses, they will be given formal certificates and credentials by the online learning platform. But most importantly, they will immediately be allowed to build a professional network, allowing them to collaborate with their coursemates and mentors.

Artkipelago is now officially online and prepared to transform eager artists into world-class professionals who will pave the way for the rise of Filipino creativity on a global scale.

For more information on Artkipelago’s course offerings, visit www.artkipelago.com.

Nyoy Volante

Audie Gemora

Menchu LauchengcoYulo

Leading network maintains reign in 2021 nationwide TV ratings GMA Network further demonstrates the power of uniting Filipinos in love and hope as it keeps its stronghold in terms of nationwide viewership and reach for full year 2021. Further solidifying this dominance – and making it a double victory for the Kapuso Network – was GTV already being the second most-watched channel in the latter part of the year.

Based on Nielsen Phils. TV Audience Measurement’s Total Philippines data for full year 2021 (from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31), GMA registered a net reach of 95.7 percent with an estimated 83 million TV viewers nationwide.

GMA was the most-watched channel in Total Philippines for the said period with 46 percent people audience share.

Per major area, GMA’s net reach was 95.6 percent or 54.4 million viewers in Total Luzon; 96.4 percent (16.4 million viewers) in Total Visayas; and 94.9 percent (12 million viewers) in Total Mindanao.

Across dayparts in the said areas, the Kapuso Network recorded an average of 48.4 percent total day people audience share in Total Luzon, while it posted 41.6 percent in Total Visayas, and 41.3 percent in Total Mindanao for 2021.

GMA has also maintained its dominance in key regional cities. Metro Cities TV Audience Measurement (MCTAM) 2021 data also cited that GMA reached 99.3 percent or an estimated 352,000 viewers in Metro Dagupan; 95.2 percent (2.3 million viewers) in Metro Cebu; and 98 percent (2.1 million viewers) in Metro Davao.

The Kapuso Network’s second freeto-air channel GTV is likewise keeping it good in terms of ratings as it claimed

its spot as the second most-watched sta- Biday, 24 Oras, I Can See You, Agimat tion in the country next to flagship sta- ng Agila, and Love of My Life. Select tion GMA. GMA programs were also simulcast on From Nov. 1 to Dec. 31, 2021, GTV GTV as well as on Heart of Asia. recorded 11.6 percent people audience And for 2022, GMA Network rings share in Total Philippines, which sur- in the New Year strong as it unveiled its passed TV5, its closest competitor, with jam-packed program offerings slated to 10.4 percent launch this year. Viewers were treated to GTV’s ratings success was also bol- the first string of world-class content this stered by the Network’s non-stop efforts January beginning with new primetime to expand GTV’s reach and clarity of re- series I Can See You: AlterNate starring ception in areas outside of Mega Manila. D i n g dong Dantes, afterIt recently commissioned the upgraded n o o n drama Little Prinanalog TV station in Zamboanga which c e s s with Jo Berry takcovers Zamboanga City in Zamboanga i n g the title role, and del Sur as well as the cities of Lamitan t h e return of Prima and Isabela, as well as other municipaliDonnas with ties in Basilan.

Jillian Ward, Since GTV’s launch in February Althea 2021, the Network has already commisAblan, sioned six analog TV station upgrades in and Sofia different parts of the country – Tandang Pablo.

Sora in Manila, Mt. Sto. Tomas in Benguet, Mt. Banoy in Batangas, Naga in Camarines Sur, Legazpi in Albay, and General Santos City in Mindanao.

The top GMA programs for 2021 were First Yaya, Encantadia, Daig Kayo ng Lola Ko, Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho, Centerstage, Anak ni Waray vs Anak ni GMA 7 and GTV reign supreme in 2021 nationwide TV ratings

Sen. Revilla heeds wishes of Odette survivors in Siargao, Dinagat Islands WHILE waiting for the second season taping of Agimat ng Agila, actor and politician Sen. Bong Revilla visited some places in the Visayas badly hit by super typhoon Odette over a month ago.

His last stopovers were in Siargao and Dinagat Islands last Thursday, Jan. 20.

In coordination with Kaagapay sa Araw ng Pangangailangan-Bayanihan Relief (KAP-BR), Sen. Bong distributed food packs, rice and UPVC roof, and various roofing panels for devas-

tated homes in the two islands.

Thousands of food packs, sacks of rice, and ten thousand UPVC roof and roofing panels were given to the typhoon victims.

The aid was turned over through Dapa Command Center, headed by League of Mayors of the Philippines President and Mayor Liza Resurrecion of Pilar, Surigao del Norte.

Also at hand during the turnover was Davao Mayor Sara Duterte, who had earlier accepted the chairmanship of Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats.

Sen. Bong was joined in this aid-giving by the first nominee for the Agimat Partylist Bryan Revilla.

On Dinagat Island, Sen. Bong and entourage were welcomed by Congressman Alan Ecleo and Vice Governor Nilo Demery, who later received during the turn-over the food packs, rice, and roofing materials.

Realizing the aid was not enough, Sen. Bong promised to go back there for more food packs, rice, and roofing materials to the other victims of super typhoon Odette.

Abortion film offers stark warning at Sundance festival

With abortion rights under historic threat in the United States, directors brought three films to the Sundance festival that spotlight the grave dangers women face by undergoing or organizing illegal backstreet procedures.

Star-studded feature Call Jane and documentary The Janes portray the 1960s Chicago collective who helped connect pregnant women with underground doctors, while award-winning drama Happening fol‘Call Jane’ stars Elizabeth Banks lows a young woman who risked everything to pro(left) who steps into the role of a cure an abortion in 1960s France.

1960s housewife.

“Having lived through that time -—believe me, we do not want to go back to that,” said Sigourney Weaver, who stars in Call Jane.

“I hope that we can engage the younger generation who have always had this and may have taken it for granted. Put the focus back on the woman herself,” she added.

The festival has fallen on the 49th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court ruling establishing abortion rights in the US. AFP

Senator Bong Revilla (right) with Davao Mayor Sara Duterte

Senator Bong with his son Bryan seen distributing goods in places devastated by Typhoon Odette.

Nickie Wang, Editor nickie.standard@gmail.com

C4

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 26, 2022

Life

US-based Filipino makeup artist Roi Santos

Roi Santos

and his glorious canvass M AKEUP is his palette, and the face is his canvass. Roi Santos is not your ordinary makeup artist. No wonder, he is the go-to person of Filipino celebrities in the West Coast.

Cherie Gil (right) with Roi Santos

Maria Isabel (right) with Roi Santos

Meeting Rufa Mae was the turning point in Roi’s career.

Miss Universe Philippines 2020 Rabiya Mateo with Makeup Artist to the Stars Roi Santos

Among the celebs who have sat on his chair are Rufa Mae Quinto, LJ Moreno-Alapag, Beth Tamayo, Bunny Paras, Carla Humphries, Angel Jones, Cherie Gil, Maria Isabel Lopez, Jinky Pacquiao, and Rabiya Mateo. And working with this bevy of beauties easily made him earn the moniker “Makeup Artist to the Stars.”

“I collect wisdom from people who sit on my makeup chair. Some give me advice on how to make myself relevant in the public eye and how to keep my reputation respectable,” Roi shared with Manila Standard Life in a virtual interview.

“I really appreciate it and it keeps me humble as my career grows,” the US-based makeup artist added.

Roi started his career in the beauty industry 10 years ago. A late bloomer in the field, he studied to become a pharmaceutical assistant. But obviously, fate had other plans for him.

“I had a high-paying job but I was not happy,” he recalled adding it was at around that time when he also came out as gay. He treasures that moment because he was warmly embraced by his family and instantly got their support to pursue a passion that makes him feel more free and creative.

While quite content with his flourishing career, the 34-year-old makeup artist never thought his life would change when he met comedy actress Rufa Mae Quinto last year at Sephora in Burlingame, California, where he works.

“She was actually shopping for makeup and then I came up to her and asked, ‘Are you the famous comedienne in the Philippines? Are you Rufa Mae Quinto?’

She said, ‘Yes!’ It started there, I introduced myself and we started talking. I think the foundation for our friendship is the love of makeup. Talagang she was really nice, we started talking about makeup and it started our friendship,” Roi narrated.

The week after, the sexy comedienne invited him

over to LA to do her makeup for a magazine shoot. personality. He continuously updates “I consider that as his knowledge and explores possibilithe turning point of my ties in improving his “art.” career,” he said allud“Yes, I consider myself as an artist. ing to the magazine cover It’s just that I use a different canvass. A Rufa Mae did. It was photogood makeup artist must be very knowlgraphed by another Filipino, edgeable.

You’re the bus driver, people will Vincent Gotti, a trusted name sit on your chair and trust you if you’re good,” in fashion and lifestyle editorials for numerous publications in San Fran- Roi (right) also loves he said. to use his boyfriend Before he starts doing makeup, Roi asks a lot of cisco and Los Angeles. as a model for his questions. He asks his clients what their skin type After the collaboration, Roi’s netHalloween looks. is, their reason for coming to him, and what look do work widened and he became more they want to achieve. in demand.

“You don’t know your client until they show up in “There are so many makeup artists here. I feel so fortunate that until this day they actually refer me to your shop, normally you’ll just have their names. So, their friends, or they would ask me from time to time you must learn to work on the makeup of certain nationalities especially those with darker skin tone, it’s to do their makeup,” he said.

Roi considers himself a versatile makeup artist. He very tricky,” he admitted.

Though he promotes continuous learning among can do glamor and special effects, a skill not everyone his colleagues, Roi explained that the process of imin his field can masterfully execute. proving one’s skill set must not be done over eagerly.

“There are no rules in makeup, if He believes that the person must accept his imperfecthere are, you can always bend tions because it can him be a better individual and stay them. Makeup evokes emogrounded. tion without telling a word.

“I have been doing makeup for 10 years and I And this mantra has have my own fair share of blunders helped me have the best that I can say I’m still of both worlds. I’m a big proud about because fan of Halloween makethey helped me better up, like I paint. I use my myself as a makeup boyfriend as my model. artist,” he related.

One time I turned him “But the biggest into Buzz Lightyear and challenge of being a Woody from Toy Story,” makeup artist is the Roi, who is also an Instagram fact that many of celebrity, shared. us are hard on ourMoving to the United States at Jinkee Pacquiao selves.

So, I always an early age, Roi is very much imtell my colleagues to mersed in different cultures. And be themselves. If you he uses this exposure when dealing with his clients. stay true to your core, you Roi maintains that he is able to keep a close relationwill flourish,” he ended. ship with his clients not only because of his amiable Donita Rose

Artmaking in the digital time

JUST the other day, I had a conversation with friends on how modern technology revolutionized the way we live.

We might have joked that “if it is not on social media, then it didn’t happen,” but it reflects how the Internet, social media, and smartphones rule the contemporary world.

There is no doubt that people have become so dependent on these technologies that we often rely on them for everything.

This social disruption also occurs in the art world.

Technology alters artmaking in a big way. It creates new social norms on how we consume art and modifies how we define arts and its roles in our lives.

In an article titled “Technology and Art: Engineering The Future,” author Gever Eyal wrote that “the modern ways in which art is created, produced, distributed, marketed, preserved and supported have shifted as a direct reaction of the world’s transition to a socially connected, digital society to the age of

the Internet.”

While there are still advantages ongoing through traditional channels, most artists nowadays capitalize on the Internet to connect with their community, create a following among their fans, collaborate with fellow artists, and market their creative products.

Take for instance, a visual artist doesn’t have to be at the mercy of galleries and museums to have their own exhibits. They now curate their artworks online, find their clients, and rake in profits.

Some budding musicians are no longer dependent on music companies to make their debuts. They would drop their songs on YouTube, Spotify, and other music apps.

Aside from the usual cinema setting (which is not really quite possible and profitable in the current pandemic situation), filmmakers now have digital platforms such as Netflix, Viu, iFlix, and others to market and sell their cinematic works. Dancers gain popularity and followings on Tiktok and other socmed apps.

Traditional arts institutions and organizations need to keep up with the changing time. They need new strategies and new platforms to reach their intended audience and widen their market.

Knowing this, the Cultural Center of

The Cultural Center of the Philippines partners with Knowledge Channel to promote Filipino arts and culture.

the Philippines partners with Knowledge Channel to widen its reach and further promote Filipino arts and culture.

The agreement entails airing the CCP cultural shows and curriculum-based contents, which will be part of the channel’s School at Home Araling Panlipunan and Filipino blocks.

Knowledge Channel will soon announce the specific shows and features included in this partnership that will start airing during the first and second quarters of the year.

As far as I know, this is not the first time that the two organizations partnered. Over a decade ago, Knowledge Channel used to broadcast the live-action adaptation of Jose Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere on their Filipino High School block, as well as theater performances in their Theater Hour weekend performing arts show.

The current CCP Board of Trustees initiated this renewed partnership, which was formally signed last December.

CCP chair Margarita Moran-Floirendo, with board members Jaime Laya, Benedict Carandang, and Lorna Kapunan attended the MOA signing, with KCFI’s director of operations Edric Calma.

KCFI president/executive director Rina Lopez-Bautista cited that “having knowledge about Filipino history, culture and language is fundamental in the holistic development of the Filipino child,” creating a profound sense of their identity as a Filipino.

This renewed collaboration is a good endeavor for art education and art appreciation among the youth. As they say, and I agree, art appreciation should begin at a young age.

For updates, visit knowledgechannel. org or follow official Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Kumu and YouTube accounts. You may also follow the CCP official social media accounts.

For feedback, suggestions, and reactions, you can email me at markiza47@ gmail.com.

Chuck Marbella as Engineer topbills ‘Miss Saigon’ Vienna production THE most moving love story of our time, Miss Saigon, Cameron Mackintosh’s global smash hit production, had its gala night on Jan. 23 in Vienna, Austria with VBW Artistic Director Christian Struppeck bringing back the famous musical.

The spectacular new version, performed in German with English surtitles, was the opening production at the Raimund Theatre, a 128-year-old newly renovated theatre. The topnotch cast included Vanessa Heinz as Kim, Oedo Kuipers as Chris, Christian Rey Marbella as Engineer, Gino Emnes as John, James Park as Thuy, Abla Alaoui as Ellen, and Annemarie Lauretta as Gigi.

Asked how the Engineer role landed on his lap, musical theater actor, singer, and dancer Chuck Marbella shared that it all started out with an email he received in March 2019.

“I just got home in London after closing the tour in Cologne, Germany in March 2019, when I received an email from someone whose name I cannot disclose, asking me about how good my German is. To which I replied, “I don’t speak German,” he recalled.

“Apparently my name came up in the meeting regarding the possibility of MSVienna in the autumn of 2020.

After a couple of months of giving it much thought with my agent, I received an invitation from VBW to fly to Vienna to be seen by the casting and creative team. And here we are,” he went on.

With German as the language to be used for production, Marbella had a short German language course at the beginning of 2021.

They also have an in-house phonetics coach that helps the cast out.

Other Filipino cast joining Marbella are Aynrand ‘ab’ Ferrer, Winchester

R. Lopez, Vincent Bueno, Judicel Eslao, Nila Axxelson, and Erick Somoza Arenas.

This acclaimed musical production, written by Alain Boublil and ClaudeMichel Schönberg (the writers of Les Miserables), is an extraordinary masterpiece of a musical that has touched people all over the world for three decades.

The moving love story of Kim, the Vietnamese girl, and Chris, the American GI, and their fateful encounter in Vietnam is brought to life in a lavish staging with haunting music, extravagant choreography, a striking set, and breath-taking technical effects. Not for nothing is the dramatic moment when a helicopter lands on stage considered one of the most unforgettable moments in the history of musicals.

Theater singer and actor Christian Rey “Chuck” Marbella